Funtastic Flummoxes Foes in G1 United Nations

OCEANPORT, NJ – Rarely does one see a Chad Brown trainee go off at odds of 23-1 in a graded turf event, but that’s exactly what happened on Saturday, and the overlooked Funtastic made his detractors pay when he wired the field to take the Grade 1, $300,000 United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park  in his graded stakes debut.

Breaking sharply from the rail under Antonio Gallardo, Funtastic immediately took command and forced the speedy One Go All Go to track him through opening fractions of :24.39, :48.89, 1:13.52, and 1:36.43. With 3 furlongs remaining, One Go All Go began dropping off while two other Brown runners, Silverwave and Kurilov, made a move toward their stablemate. Heading into the far turn, Funtastic began to pick up the speed before shaking loose at the top of the stretch with a 2 1/2-length lead. With a furlong remaining, Money Multiplier, the 2-1 favorite and the fourth Brown entry, made a big move and began gobbling up ground quickly, but the wire came too soon. Funtastic hit the wire with a 1/2-length advantage in a final time of 2:12.36 for the 1 3/8-mile marathon event.

Money Multiplier was 1 1/2 lengths clear of Bigger Picture in third, while Vettori Kin headed a weakening Silverwave for fourth. Oscar Nominated necked out sixth over Profiteer, while Kurilov and One Go All Go faded to complete the order of finish.

Funtastic’s win was his second straight following an allowance score at Belmont Park at the end of May. The 4-year-old son of More Than Ready improved his career record to 9-4-2-1 with earnings of $384,943 for owner Three Chimneys Farm.

Funtastic returned $48 to win, $15.80 to place, and $8.60 to show. Money Multiplier brought back $4 to place and $2.80 to show while giving supporters a $93 return on a $1 Brown exacta ticket. Bigger Picture paid $5.80 to show.