SACKETS HARBOR, N.Y. -- Betty Rosecrans hung her head ever so briefly after Funny Cide failed to become the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years.

"The ride is over," Rosecrans said Saturday from her table at The Boathouse Restaurant as she watched Funny Cide finish third Saturday behind Empire Maker and Ten Most Wanted in the Belmont Stakes. "But that's all right."

Six high school buddies -- the so-called Sackets Six, a group of regular guys who grew up here -- are among 10 owners of Funny Cide. One of those, J.P. Constance, is Rosecrans' son.

After his stirring victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, Funny Cide fever swept this village of 1,300 people on the northeast shore of Lake Ontario.

Even though the chestnut gelding didn't win the Triple Crown, this is a one-horse town for sure. More than 2,000 people crammed Main Street for the race, and every restaurant and bar was packed to overflowing.

"This is a scream," said Kathy Spencer of Geneseo, 115 miles southwest. "There's no better place in the world to be. It's better than Belmont."

Karl Whitney, whose father was once village mayor, agreed.

"I just wanted to be a part of it," said Whitney, a classmate at Sackets Harbor high school in the 1960s with two of the Sackets Six, Jack Knowlton and Mark Phillips. "My father would be so happy to see something like this come into the village."

Funny Cide banners hung from every building, and nearly everyone wore Funny Cide pins. Partly blocked off for traffic, Main Street turned into one big party as revelers sipped more than their share of Funny Cide Lite beers and waited to watch probably only their third horse race. They didn't miss a thing if they couldn't get to a TV -- the race was broadcast over loud speakers.

There are no Off-Track Betting parlors in this county because there hasn't been enough interest over the years to warrant any. That didn't deter Bonnie Griffith, a banker in Rochester. She placed hundreds of bets at work before traveling here.

"I bet for all of us around the bar," said Griffith, who visits Knowlton at his Saratoga Springs home a couple of times each summer. "We were laughing because I run the investment department, and I'm calling up everybody and getting their bets and going to OTB on my lunch hour. If they (co-workers) ever saw, they'd probably have a cardiac arrest."

Inside The Boathouse, owned by Constance's brother, Eric, people lined up three-deep at the bar. But at post time, partying came to a screeching halt, and the outside tables quickly emptied as everyone crammed inside to watch.

"This is just unbelievable," restaurant manager Pauline Washburn said as she took a seat on the floor to watch. "I've been here since five this morning. I couldn't sleep."

When Frank Sinatra's rendition of "New York, New York" was played minutes before the race began, and TV cameras focused on members of the Sackets Six, everyone in the restaurant screamed.

And when Funny Cide gained the early lead, the place shook.

The crescendo lasted until Funny Cide faded down the stretch. When it was over, he received an appreciative applause.

"We still love him," Washburn said, tears welling in her eyes. "He's still ours."

And he's still a winner, Eric Constance said.

At Saratoga Equine Sports Center 130 miles east in Saratoga Springs -- where Funny Cide was raised -- about 3,000 people wearing Funny Cide hats and T-shirts crowded around TVs to cheer on the gelding.

Along the back stretch, as it became clear the home favorite wouldn't win, the place grew silent.

"It's very disappointing, but it's a difficult task to accomplish," Bob Giombetti, of Guilderland, said of the near-Triple Crown. "We came up for the excitement, and it was entertaining."

Amy Ford, of Albany, added, "It was a great race, and Funny Cide's a great horse. We're very proud of them. He still won two out of three, and helped put New York horses and breeding on the map."