Brent and Crystal Fernung

The odds were pretty good that a horse sired by Repent and broken and trained by Brent Fernung would win the $77,500 Step Nicely Stakes at Belmont Park on Sunday. But few people other than Fernung thought that horse would be Famous Patriot and not Check It Twice.

Fernung, who owns Journeyman Stud in Ocala, bred both of the colts locally and sold Famous Patriot to Patriot Stable for $67,000 at OBS in April 2007. Fernung wasn’t able to watch the race because he was at the Keeneland yearling sale, but when Famous Patriot crossed the finish line first in the one-mile race, finishing in a time of 1:35.45, Fernung immediately got a call from the horse’s trainer, Timothy Hills.

“He called me as soon as the horse crossed the wire,” Fernung said. “He was really excited. That was great to have that horse win a stake at Belmont Park. I was pretty excited too. I knew that Famous Patriot was doing really well because I’d been keeping track of him. I expected him to run good. I felt Famous Patriot was a better horse than Check It Twice when I was training them as 2-year-olds.”

Famous Patriot was fifth behind pacesetter Tin Cup Chalice halfway through the race before improving to third with a quarter-mile left and closing to within two lengths of the leader in second place at the top of the stretch. He prevailed by a neck with jockey Javier Castellano aboard, earning his fourth career victory and his third in his last four starts. Famous Patriot had the second-longest odds in the field of six 3-year-olds and returned mutuels of $19.20, $7 and $4.

Tin Cup Chalice paid $3.50 and $2.10 after finishing second, half a length in front of Check It Twice, who returned $2.80.

Famous Patriot ran third to Hey Byrn in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park in April, then had a three-month layoff. He won two of his next three starts, all optional claiming races at Monmouth Park, before getting his first stakes win Sunday. His seventh-place finish two starts back is the only time he has failed to finish in the money in his eight-race career. He has earned $149,310.

“Hopefully, he’ll come back to Florida and win some races so I can get some breeders’ awards,” Fernung said. “He was always a nice horse, and everyone that was around him liked him because he was an easy-going, big lug. He’s not really a tall horse, but he’s a very well-muscled.”

Check It Twice was raised and named by Fernung at CloverLeaf Farms II in Reddick before the operation was moved to Kentucky. He was favored to win Sunday’s race, his first of the year and his debut for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Check It Twice had won three out of five starts for trainer Kathleen O’Connell as a juvenile last year, finishing among the top three every time he ran. He won the $100,000 What a Pleasure Stakes at Calder in December before being pulled out of February’s Risen Star Stakes (G3) because of an injury to his left front leg.

–E-mail Nick Fortuna at nick@wiretowire.net .

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