Funny Duck splashes to upset in Pat Day Mile

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – This duck can swim.

On a waterlogged Derby Day at Churchill Downs, Funny Duck sank the chalk players, splashing home to an upset victory in the Grade 3, $300,000 Pat Day Mile.

The Distorted Humor colt, who is trained by Rusty Arnold for Calumet Farm, returned $81.40 on a $2 win wager, and led home a parade of longshots in a deep field. New York Central finished second, a length ahead of Givemeaminit in third; a $2 exacta returned $1,753.60, and the 50-cent trifecta $8,569.25.

Meanwhile, Grade 1 winner Sporting Chance finished fourth; Grade 2 winner Lombo finished sixth; the comebacking Mask, sent away as the favorite, was eighth for his first defeat; Mississippi, third in the Florida Derby last out, ninth; sharp Hutcheson Stakes winner Madison's Luna was 10th; Restoring Hope, third in the Wood Memorial, was 12th; and graded winner Greyvitos 13th. National Flag, who won the Bay Shore Stakes last out, was never a factor and finished last of 14.

Funny Duck's lone prior win in six starts came in a maiden race on the Gulfstream Park turf in February. He then finished seventh in the Grade 3 Transylvania Stakes last month at Keeneland.

On Saturday, Funny Duck, under Brian Hernandez, Jr., stumbled slightly leaving the gate and settled to save ground in eighth as Lombo, under pressure from Greyvitos, took the field through a sharp opening half-mile in 45.53 seconds. Funny Duck made up ground toward the inside and was rolling into the stretch, sitting third with a quarter-mile remaining as Hernandez tipped him out for running room. Meanwhile, the stalking New York Central had taken over and opened a length lead, but the eventual winner overhauled him to win going away.

"I think [the stumble at the break] worked to his advantage because then he got up and turned off for me," Hernandez said. "We were able to just find a nice smooth rail trip. We had to come around one horse, but he traveled like a winner the entire way."

Funny Duck finished the mile on the sloppy, sealed track in 1:37.16 and earned a 90 Beyer.

This was the second consecutive win in the Pat Day for Calumet and Arnold, who partnered to take last year's edition with Wild Shot.