Brent Fernung | Horse Racing Free Tips

OBS Winter Mixed Sale Begins Tuesday

The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company opens its 2024 calendar with the two-day Winter Mixed Sale which begins Tuesday at noon. The auction opens with a preferred session of 137 catalogued short yearlings, broodmares and broodmare prospects. Following the preferred session, OBS will present an offering of 76 catalogued horses of racing age. The auction concludes Wednesday with 263 catalogued offerings in the company's open session, which also begins at noon.

The horses of racing age took to the OBS track Monday, with the unraced 3-year-old Saint George (St Patrick's Day) (hip 262) earning the under-tack show's bullet when working three furlongs in :32 1/5. Out of Crowninshield (Aldebaran), the chestnut colt was bred by Brent and Crystal Fernung and is consigned by the Fernungs' Journeyman Bloodstock Services.

“I thought he was going to work awful good,” said Brent Fernung. “He pulled a stifle before the April sale last year–and we thought he would work good there, too–so we just gave him plenty of time and decided to bring him back here. He stepped up and did what he was supposed to do.”

Journeyman is usually active selling at the 2-year-old sales, but Fernung agreed having an outlet to sell horses of racing age in Ocala in January is a welcome addition to the calendar.

“Historically, what we've done is we breed homebreds and sell them at the 2-year-old sales,” Fernung said. “And once that last 2-year-old sale goes by, part of the by-product of that is that horses who can't make it to those sales for one reason or another, you've got to have somewhere to go with them. It used to be, before we started doing this here, I ended up having to race all of those horses. We did OK doing that, but it turns into a two-year process before you know it.”

Of interest around the sales grounds Monday, Fernung said, “I thought it was a reasonable number of people watching the breeze show. And we have some nice mares in this sale and they seem to be getting looked at pretty regular, too. It's not a real busy place, but it never is. It always helps if it gets really cold up north right before this sale.”

“I've been saying since the end of the 2-year-old season last year, if we can just remain flat and level–and I'm not just talking about OBS, I am talking about the Thoroughbred industry in whole–it's been strong now for several years, so if we just don't lose any ground, I'd be satisfied,” Fernung said of expectations for the market. “I think that is realistic. I haven't seen anything that suggests to me that it's going to take a big downturn yet.”

During the 2023 Winter sale, 380 horses grossed $6,346,200 for an average of $16,701 and a median of $9,500. A yearling colt by Tapit brought top price of $225,000 and was one of two to bring six figures at the auction.

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Florida Stallion Uncle Chuck Euthanized

GSW Uncle Chuck (Uncle Mo–Forest Music, by Unbridled's Song), whose first foals are yearlings of 2024, was humanely euthanized Dec. 22 according to Brent Fernung, owner of Journeyman Stud in Florida. The 6-year-old stallion was standing at Journeyman at the time of his death.

Uncle Chuck was determined to be suffering from untreatable lymphoma.

“We're devastated by this loss,” said Fernung. “He was a beautiful horse, and his first crop of foals are carbon copies of him. Beyond that, Uncle Chuck had a great demeanor and was a pleasure to work around. He will be missed.”

Uncle Chuck, a half-brother to Hill 'n' Dale sire Maclean's Music (Distorted Humor), as well as to GSWs Kentuckian (Tiznow) and Electric Forest (Curlin), won two of his three career starts, including the GIII Los Alamitos Derby. He joined the Journeyman roster for the 2022 season and has a first crop of 75 reported live foals. He was the property of a syndicate at the time of his death.

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First Foal for Mr. Money

Five-time graded stakes winner Mr. Money (Goldencents–Plenty O'Toole, by Tiznow) was represented by his first foal when Road to Riches (Quality Road) produced a filly Jan. 20. The foal is the first out of the unraced mare.

“We're excited to see Mr. Money's first foals,” said Brent Fernung of Journeyman Stud, which stands the 6-year-old stallion. “Mr. Money is a handsome horse and I fully expect that he'll pass that along to his foals. With his talent and pedigree, we're anticipating great things from Mr. Money's progeny.”

Campaigned by Allied Racing Stable and Spendthrift Farm and trained by Bret Calhoun, Mr. Money won the 2019 GIII Matt Winn S., GIII Pat Day Mile, GIII West Virginia Derby and GIII Indiana Derby and was second in that year's GI Pennsylvania Derby. He added the GIII Ack Ack S. to his resume in 2020.

Mr. Money will stand for $4,000 in 2022.

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Journeyman Takes a ‘Chance’ with New Stallions

At Journeyman Stud in Ocala, Florida, one feels a sense of family and mutual respect among all of the inhabitants–horses, dogs and people. The atmosphere is relaxed and happy. Brent Fernung of Journeyman Stud and his wife, Crystal, have been cornerstones of the Thoroughbred industry in Florida for more than 40 years. Under Fernung's management Congrats, the leading first-crop sire of 2010, and Wildcat Heir, North America's leading second-crop sire in 2010, both began their careers.

In addition to its two new stallions Uncle Chuck (Uncle Mo–Forest Music, by Unbridled's Song) and Chance It (Currency Swap–Vagabon Diva, by Pleasantly Perfect), Journeyman Stud currently stands Khozan, Florida's leading sire in 2020 and 2021, as well as St Patrick's Day and Mr. Money. Fernung said he wasn't necessarily looking for a new stallion when he went to the Keeneland November Sale. But when, at the suggestion of friends Des Ryan and Ben Glass, he visited Uncle Chuck, he said he knew this was a stallion prospect that would appeal to Florida breeders.

Campaigned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Uncle Chuck was $250,000 Keeneland September yearling and is a half-brother to successful Kentucky-based sire Maclean's Music. In his second start, Uncle Chuck won the GIII Los Alamitos Derby.

“In his first start, [Uncle Chuck] dominated a field of maidens winning by seven lengths, and it could have been 70 lengths. And he was obviously still green, [he] got about mid-stretch and switched to his left lead and kind of started gawking around and was still drawing off from them under what wasn't particularly perfect circumstances,” said Fernung. “Then of course, he followed that up with a four-length victory over Thousand Words in a Grade III running a mile and an eighth in his second start. So, I don't think there was any distance limitations to this horse at all.”

Brilliance on the track is just one of the pillars Fernung looks for in a successful stallion and he said Uncle Chuck checks all of his boxes.

“Forest Music was a very good race mare. First of all, she might have been the fastest daughter of Unbridled's Song to make it to the races,” said Fernung. “And as a broodmare, besides producing a top-quality stallion in Maclean's Music, she's produced two other graded stake winners besides Uncle Chuck. It's a great family. You can't beat it.

“When the opportunity arose to get Uncle Chuck, I looked his pedigree up. And he had this tremendous pedigree,” said Fernung. “But more importantly, he was a top racehorse that was brilliant in the few starts he was able to make. That's the trifecta, in my opinion.

“I don't want a stallion because of who his brother is. I don't want a stallion because of who his sire is. And I really don't want a stallion just based on his talent or ability. I want that combination, you know, by a world-class champion sire out of a spectacular broodmare and a solid racehorse.”

Fernung said Uncle Chuck's physical is another attribute adding to his appeal.

“Uncle Chuck physically is such an impressive horse,” said Fernung. “He's got plenty of bone. He's a big horse, probably 16.3. And he's just as correct as he can be. He's really an entire package physically. His ability, his pedigree, his sire, put together with that physicality is really an unusual combination of traits to get down here.”

Uncle Chuck has been well received already with more than 60 mares in his book and Fernung said the phone is still ringing. In addition to the local interest, Uncle Chuck's ownership group plans to bring a large group of mares to the freshman sire.

“It's an interesting story. I went and looked at Uncle Chuck on my own and the next day I got a call from Frank Taylor from Taylor Made and Frank says, 'I just been out here to look at this horse. Would you be interested in standing him down in Ocala?'” said Fernung. “Getting Taylor Made involved has always been fortunate for us. Of course, they were the ones who originally sent Wildcat Heir down to Journeyman.”

Chance It just before his Mucho Macho Man S. win| Ryan Thompson

Chance It, Journeyman's other new stallion, has been a fan favorite in Florida for his entire racing career. With lifetime earnings of $583,330, he was on the board in nine of 11 starts with six triple-digit Beyers. A multiple FTBOA Florida Sire S. winner at two and an additional black-type winner at three, he finished third in Saratoga's GI Forego S. at four.

“Chance It has great local appeal here in Ocala. He was Florida's horse,” said Fernung. “He was destined to go on and do some really great things, in my opinion. But then he injured himself. He came back, placed in a Grade I sprint stakes, had the potential to win one of them, but injury ended his career at that point.”

As to Fernung's formula for success, Chance It has more than just racing ability.

“Chance It's a big, strong correct horse,” said Fernung. “He's 16.2. You can see the reason he was so fast when you look through his hindquarters and his shoulder. He moves like a cat, just a very nice physical.”

Fernung said Chance It's ownership group, led by Mary Lightner with advice from her father, Mike, is as enthusiastic to bring mares and support the stallion in his new career as they did with his racing career.

“We've been friends with them for 30 years,” said Fernung. “The opportunity to own a stallion with them was one that we really embraced.”

Fernung said he believes Chance It has a great chance to succeed in Florida.

“Our entire industry down here has been developed through 2-year-old racing,” said Fernung. “I think Chance It has that kind of physicality to him that's going to get you early horses that can really run. I'm excited to have the opportunity to stand him.”

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