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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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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“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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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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Campaigned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman and trainer by Bob Baffert, the $250,000 KEESEP yearling is out of MGSW/MGISP Forest Music (Unbridled's Song), making him a half to successful Kentucky-based sire Maclean's Music (Distorted Humor) and GSWs Kentuckian (Tiznow) and Electric Forest (Curlin).

“I've seen Uncle Chuck referred to as brilliant by his connections, he was certainly that,” said Brent Fergnung. “Uncle Chuck is royally bred, an exceptional physical, and had unlimited potential as a racehorse. He is everything I look for in a stallion prospect. His abbreviated racing career, shortened by injury, is the only reason he isn't in Kentucky commanding a much larger fee.”

The handsome dark bay won his debut at Santa Anita by seven lengths. He has last seen finishing sixth as the second choice in the 2020 GI Runhappy Travers S.

“Uncle Chuck was special from day one,” Baffert said. “Assistant trainer Mike Marlow, who is a very good judge of talent, spoke about Uncle Chuck in the same terms as he did [Triple Crown winners] American Pharoah and Justify. Uncle Chuck had great athleticism and showed his sire's brilliance on the track. His potential was unlimited.”

Uncle Chuck is currently being syndicated by Journeyman and Taylor Made Farm.

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“We're excited to stand Chance It here at Journeyman next year,” said Journeyman's Brent Fernung. “He is a beloved Florida-bred racehorse that displayed tons of talent. Had he not got injured, I'm sure he would have annexed at least one Grade 1 stake before he was finished. Chance It won from six furlongs to a mile and a sixteenth and showed indications that he would have won going further. It'll be a pleasure to work with Mary and her entire team.”

Chance It was trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. for Shooting Star Thoroughbreds, a syndicate managed by Mary Lightner of Ocala, Fla.

Chance It won the $100,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Dr. Fager over six furlongs by 3 1/4 lengths on Aug. 3 of 2019 before dominating the $400,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes In Reality two starts later in September, winning the 1 1/16-mile test by 7 1/4 lengths. He was also second, missing by just a head to Liam's Lucky Charm, in the $200,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Affirmed going seven furlongs on Aug. 31.

By Currency Swap out of Vagabon Diva, by Pleasantly Perfect, Chance It started his sophomore campaign with victory in the $100,000 Mucho Macho Man on Jan. 4, 2020 at Gulfstream Park, achieving a Beyer Speed Figure of 99 while defeating stakes-winner As Seen On Tv and future graded stakes-winner Sole Volante.

In four starts this year, Chance It was second twice including a runner-up performance in the Grade 3 Smile Sprint over six furlongs at Gulfstream Park on July 3 and third in the G1 Forego going seven furlongs at Saratoga on Aug. 28 while earning a 97 Beyer. He was retired after his final start in the G2 Kelso at Belmont Park on Sept. 25 when he suffered a minor injury to his left front leg.

Chance It, who was bred in the Sunshine State by Bett Usher, finished his career with four wins, four seconds and a third in 11 lifetime races while earning $583,330.

The handsome bay colt will join a stellar stallion roster at Journeyman Stud that includes Khozan, the leading sire in Florida in 2020 and 2021; St Patrick's Day, who is a full-brother to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah; and Mr. Money, a winner of four graded stakes as a 3-year-old.

Chance It's fee for the 2022 breeding season has not been announced.

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The 11-year-old son of Tiznow resided at Journeyman Stallions in Ocala, Fla., where he had resided since 2016.

“He colicked one night, and it turned into colitis,” said Journeyman's Brent Fernung. “He was a nice horse. He could get you a runner. It's a shame, he probably never got the opportunity that he should have, like the stallions that were able to attract bigger books of mares. He was getting by with 30 to 50 mares.”

Fernung said the stallion fell ill around the time of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. June Sale of 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age, which began on June 9.

From three crops of racing age, Fury Kapcori has sired 17 winners, with combined progeny earnings of $833,570.

His top runners include High On Gin, a multiple stakes winner in Louisiana, and The Goddess Lyssa, who won the Minaret Stakes earlier this year at Tampa Bay Downs.

During his own racing career, Fury Kapcori won six of 18 starts for earnings of $521,040.

Racing for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer in partnership with Rick Awtrey and George Todaro, Fury Kapcori won his second career start at Golden Gate Fields as a juvenile, then remained in Northern California to win the listed Charlie Palmer Futurity at Fresno. He finished his 2-year-old season at Hollywood Park where he finished second in the listed Real Quiet Stakes and the G1 Cash Call Futurity.

Future campaigns saw Fury Kapcori compete primarily in Southern California, highlighted by a four-race winning streak at Santa Anita Park to begin his 2014 campaign, which was highlighted by scores in the black type Santana Mile Stakes and the Grade 3 Precisionist Stakes. His streak was halted with a runner-up effort in the G2 Californian Stakes.

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So while Thomas didn't buy any 2-year-olds as he has the previous two years, he did acquire 15 mares whose pedigrees worked well with Mr. Money. Had he not suddenly found himself in the stallion business, Thomas said no way he'd have gone on such a broodmare spending spree.

“I've been trying to downsize,” Thomas said with a laugh. “The answer's not no. It's hell no! But Mr. Money was such a nice horse, and he still is. Everybody who goes out and sees Mr. Money are like, 'OK, what kind of deal can I get if I bring four mares here?' He's going to have a heck of a nice book, and we were three or four weeks late to the game.

“We're really excited about Mr. Money, and it seems like the folks in Florida are very excited about him. He's getting a lot of new girlfriends.”

The original plan was to race Mr. Money at age five. That changed after a post-work endoscopic exam in late November revealed a breathing obstruction, which Thomas believes explained a poor performance in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile after Mr. Money's snappy victory in Churchill Downs' GIII Ack Ack. Rather than roll the dice that a surgical procedure would return the horse to peak form, the decision ultimately was made to retire him. Mr. Money is one of four stallions at Journeyman, standing for $5,000.

Brent Fernung, who with wife Crystal owns and operates Journeyman, had never met Thomas. After more or less rejecting the horse when Thomas's main trainer, Bret Calhoun, first made an overture, Fernung then looked at Mr. Money's race videos, loved what he saw “and now I've got to crawfish my way out of this mess,” he said. He called Thomas “and he had me talked into it lock, stock and barrel five minutes into the conversation.”

Fernung quickly learned that, given the choice between going small and big, Thomas opts for bigger. Thomas told Fernung he'd breed “10 or 12” mares to Mr. Money. The number for 2021 right now is set for 23. Thomas also funded a substantial advertising campaign.

Chester Thomas | Sarah Andrew

Owner support “is important anywhere, but it's particularly important down here in Florida, where if you look historically stallions have been made by their owners,” Fernung said. “When I heard the enthusiasm that Chester had for this, combined with the quality of the horse, it was a no-brainer for me to want to get involved. Chester has been great. You can't ask any more of an owner than to support his own stallion. It's not cheap to do, but it's a necessity if you really want to make a horse down here.

“I always look for a horse that has something that just makes you turn your head. When I got to watching Money's races, he's winning by five, six, seven in $500,000 races. He's beating these horses for fun. He's got to have enough pedigree to make a stallion, which he does, but they have to rise above just another stakes horse. He certainly did this, the way he won those four races in a row.”

Even with Mr. Money arriving right before New Year's, whereas Fernung would prefer a new stallion be on hand by early November, he said the reception has been excellent. He expects Mr. Money will be bred to between 75 and 100 mares.

He can only hope that Mr. Money mirrors Thomas's ascent in horse racing.

Four years ago, Thomas decided to switch his focus from mainly a claiming operation and inexpensive auction purchases to investing in better-bred and pricier yearlings and 2-year-olds to upgrade his stock with the goal of participating in racing's biggest events. With Josh Stevens his main bloodstock agent, Thomas's Allied Racing soon reaped the results.

Mr. Money provided Thomas with his first Breeders' Cup starter, finishing fourth in the 2018 GI Juvenile at Churchill Downs straight from a maiden victory.

In 2019, By My Standards (Goldencents) became Thomas's first graded stakes winner in the GII TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby. Mr. Money followed with Grade III victories in the Pat Day Mile, Matt Winn, Indiana Derby and West Virginia Derby. He just missed on bagging the coveted Grade I when collared on the wire of the Pennsylvania Derby by Math Wizard (Algorithms), whom Mr. Money had decisively defeated at Indiana Grand and Mountaineer Park.

Today, Allied Racing is one of the top owners in the country, checking in at No. 13 in purse earnings for 2020, including By My Standards winning a trio of Grade II stakes. In addition, Mr. Big News (Giant's Causeway) finished third in the 2020 GI Kentucky Derby, giving Thomas a runner in America's greatest race for the second straight year, following By My Standards' 11th in 2019.

While upgrading his racing stock, Thomas also began a breeding program, concentrating on Louisiana.

Thomas with his new stallion last September | Coady

Thomas, who continues to own 75% of Mr. Money to 25% for Spendthrift Farm, believes had Mr. Money held on in the Pennsylvania Derby, he would be residing at Spendthrift in Lexington today. Fernung agrees and says “it was a long neck from Lexington to Ocala,” making it possible for them to have a stallion in Florida with legitimate Kentucky credentials.

“We're benefiting from the fact that he got snagged at the wire in the Pennsylvania Derby,” he said.

Thomas and his team opted to give Mr. Money the chance to make it big in a regional market rather than getting overlooked in the hyper-competition for mares in Kentucky.

“We want him to be successful,” Thomas said. “There's nothing like conquering and winning.”

Thomas said he will sell some of his mares in foal at regional markets with the hopes of getting Mr. Money progeny into the northeast. Some will foal in Florida and a few could land in Texas, but the bulk of babies will be born in Louisiana, he said. Under those states' current rules, those horses can be made eligible for the Florida Stallion Stakes Series as well as Louisiana-bred stakes.

“Florida is a great place for a stallion,” Thomas said. “They've got a lot of horses there. They've got that stakes series. They have good incentives, stallion rewards. They race year-round down there, so that seemed like a good regional market for us to introduce Mr. Money to. And it's not that far from Louisiana.

“I really like the Louisiana program. Our Louisiana-bred horses are carrying the weight for us now,” he continued, referencing his racing stable.

Thomas is putting the same calculated acceleration into his newfound stallion operation that he utilized for his racing operation. Having missed out on the early-November broodmare auctions, he worked with highly regarded pedigree consultant Alan Porter to secure nicely bred fillies and mares via the claim box. He also bought one mare at auction and another privately.

“I am very competitive,” Thomas said. “I don't like losing. So when I focus on something, I really give it my best… It's a numbers game. So the more mares they get, especially if they're the right bloodline crosses, the better odds you get of getting some good racehorses. When you look at the stallion awards, the breeders' awards, look at the purse money, it makes sense–as much as I like to race horses and as competitive as I am–to support this stallion.

“As an owner, I think some of my most fun years are ahead of me. It's 2021. We'll have foals in '22 and '23. It will be 2024 with the first Mr. Money 2-year-olds. The first Mr. Money that wins, now that will be fun.”

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In the late 1970s, Fernung relocated from the racetrack to become Lasater's Farm Manager in Ocala. During the next few years, Fernung and Lasater developed a nationally renowned stallion station. Among the stallions they brought to Ocala were North America's leading sire in 1981, Nodouble, his sire Noholme II, Holy Bull's sire Great Above, and Silver Charm's sire Silver Buck.

When Lasater dispersed his Thoroughbred holdings in 1984, Fernung purchased the 1000-acre facility in partnership with another Eclipse Award winner, John Franks, to form Southland Farm. During his tenure with Franks, Fernung syndicated At The Threshold, sire of 1992 Kentucky Derby winner Lil E Tee.

Fernung also mentored several members of his family who entered the Thoroughbred industry. Among them is his brother, Brent Fernung, who along with his wife, Crystal are the owners of Journeyman Stud in Ocala. Fernung's nephew, Scott Warner is the farm manager of Robert S. Evans's Courtland Farm in Maryland. John Fernung's son Andrew is the latest member of the family to enter the Thoroughbred industry. Andrew is currently the Sales Coordinator for Eddie Woods Stable.

John Fernung is also survived by a daughter Nicole Fernung, grandson Bryce (Andrew and Cally), brothers Jerry Fernung (Barbee) and Andrew S. Fernung, sister Linda Warner and three nephews and four nieces.

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Breeders will be familiar with Clockwork Fury as he has greeted visitors at Ocala’s Journeyman Stud, owned by Brent and Crystal Fernung, for the past decade. The winning bidders of the statue about 10 years ago recently had him upgraded by his original artist, Mark Hershberger, and are sending him through the ring to raise funds for Florida Thoroughbred Charities (FTC) and Marion Cultural Alliance (MCA).

“This past year [due to the COVID-19 pandemic], FTC didn’t get to have their gala, had to cancel their big golf tournament. They lost a lot of money,” said Crystal Fernung. She said FTC supports Second Chances, where incarcerated women care for retired racehorses and get vocational training in horse care. “Second Chances is such a great program. I drive by it every day. With FTC being the major source of income, we thought if there was a way we could donate ‘Fury’ and get him sold, we could help. OBS is a game changer.

“Anyone from anywhere can buy him,” continued Fernung. “Creech Horse Transportation has philanthropically offered to deliver him to wherever they have a truck going. We’ll have internet bidding and people can see him in person at the [OBS] January sale [Jan. 26-27].”

Clockwork Fury is the official anniversary ambassador for the Horse Fever project, but is unique in that he has been donated back to the program by the Fernungs. His recent upgrade by his original artist has been monumental.

Clockwork Fury at Journeyman Stud | Courtesy of Crystal Fernung

“He’s made it through four hurricanes,” said Fernung. “There’s bluebirds that come to nest in him every year. Mark has preserved their nest and placed it inside him. Now he has 2020 technology, has fiberoptics in him. There’s so much more Mark could do now. He’s fiberglass, like all the others. But when Mark created him 20 years ago, he had him cut up in different shapes, painted him to look like metal, then put all that back together. His eyes are antique opera glasses that Mark had found. His star is a solar panel. His tail is these big, heavy chains, and when you move his tail, his head moves. We had no intentions of buying anything when we saw him 10 years ago, but when Mark had dry ice coming out of his hips and nose, it was, ‘Whoa.’ When they knocked him down to us for $15,000, Brent looked at me like, ‘What did you just do?'”

Fernung said she wants the “horse” that has served their farm so well to be able to continue to help others by the use of his proceeds.

This will be the fourth Horse Fever event in Ocala after projects in 2000, 2005, and 2011. Many of the statues from the earlier installations can still be seen around Ocala, while some have even traveled out of state. There will be a total of 15 horses for Horse Fever 20/20, all of which are scheduled to be unveiled Feb. 8. For more information, visit mcaocala.org/hf-2020.

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