Funny Duck gets last laugh, winning Pat Day Mile at 39-1

Churchill Downs’ Grade 3, $300,000 Pat Day Mile was carded later on the 2018 Kentucky Derby undercard — and spotlighted for a reason.

More than half of the 14-horse field competed on the Derby trail, but in a race over the slop, Funny Duck stole a win in his switch from turf to dirt.

The Rusty Arnold-trained son of Distorted Humor scored at odds of 39-1, lighting up the tote board along with the runner-up (New York Central, 31-1) and third-place finisher (Givemeaminit, 21-1).

“He trained good in the mud. We did like when it went sloppy," said Arnold, who also won this race last year with Wild Shot. He added of Funny Duck's future, "It opens up a whole new world for him, I’ve got to say.”

Running in the famed Calumet Farm colors, Funny Duck rallied off a hot pace, which went in 22.32 seconds for the quarter mile and 45.53 for the half. He splashed by outside of New York Central in the stretch, cruising past the wire in a final time of 1:37.16 under jockey Brian Hernandez.

Arnold credited Calumet Brad Kelly for asking connections try Funny Duck on the dirt rather than the Grade 3 American Turf also run Saturday.

“There was no instructions," Hernandez said. "Rusty just said let’s go out there and see if he likes the racetrack.”

And he did, winning by 4 3/4 lengths.

The race also marked an unceremonious return by Mask, previously unbeaten and a winner of the Mucho Macho Man Stakes, similarly run around one turn. Once thought to be on the fast track to the Derby, the colt didn't take to the surface in his return from injury.