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This is a tale of two brothers, as well as two daughters.

Can there be a racing fan in the world who doesn’t know the name of the first brother, American Pharoah (by Pioneerof the Nile)? He became the first winner of the Triple Crown in 37 years with his memorable successes in 2015 and later added the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Classic to his roll of eight G1s from nine victories in 11 starts. Coolmore purchased the breeding rights to the big bay and stands him at their Ashford Stud outside Versailles, Ky.

Many, however, would be stumped to name his brother based in Florida at Brent and Crystal Fernung’s Journeyman Stud. That would be St Patrick’s Day, a three-years younger full-brother to the Triple Crown champ. Bred in Kentucky by Summer Wind Farm, St Patrick’s Day was purchased privately to race for Susan Magnier. From 10 starts, the muscular bay won a maiden as a 2-year-old at Del Mar, then was sent abroad and, at three, was also second in the G3 Renaissance Stakes at Naas racecourse in Ireland and third in the Celebration Stakes at the Curragh.

After a pair of unsuccessful starts at four, the lads at Coolmore decided that the colt needed a second career and sold him to a partnership based in Florida. 

“Sean Feld called and offered to let us come in on the horse,” Brent Fernung recalled. “I knew the colt and really knew that pedigree, which has so many ties to Florida breeding. So I told Sean, ‘Let me call a man, and I’ll let you know if we’ll go in on the horse. So, I called Gil Campbell, and he said, ‘Yes, let’s buy half.’ It was that quick with Gil.” Fernung said.

Also a partner with Fernung in Florida’s leading sire, Khozan (Distorted Humor), Campbell bred and raised his own racehorses at Stonehedge Farm with his wife Marilyn. After St Patrick’s Day was brought to stand in Florida in 2020, Campbell died in September 2021. Fernung noted that “the sport would be a different world if we had a thousand owner-breeders like Gil Campbell. He knew breeding and he loved racing his own stock. Fortunately, Marilyn loves the game too, and she was at Gulfstream over the weekend to see her horses run.

“Entering stud at Journeyman in 2020, St Patrick’s Day found solid support in Florida’s breeding community and covered 114 mares. From these, he had 74 mares in foal, and those resulted in 70 live foals, which are his first crop, now three. On March 2, Fiona’s Magic became the first stakes winner and first graded stakes winner for her sire with a victory in the G2 Davona Dale Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Bred in Florida by Stonehedge LLC, Fiona’s Magic represents just a part of the commitment to breeding and racing in the Sunshine State from Stonehedge’s founder Gil Campbell.

“Unless something happens between now and then, the plan for Fiona’s Magic is the Oaks,” Fernung said. “We are thrilled for Marilyn, who was at Gulfstream for the Davona Dale and texted us ‘Here we come, Kentucky!’ All of us are really missing Gil, but we’re having a great time cheering for Marilyn because she absolutely loves the game.”

On the same afternoon as the Davona Dale, Jody’s Pride (American Pharoah) won the Busher Stakes at Aqueduct. Now a winner in four of her five starts, Jody’s Pride won the Matron Stakes last fall and then was a neck runner-up to divisional champion Just F Y I (Justify) in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita. The Busher was the 2024 debut for Jody’s Pride.

Bred in Kentucky by Steve Weston, Jody’s Pride is out of the Scat Daddy mare Jody’s Song. The winner of the Busher Stakes is the second foal of her dam. The mare has a 2-year-old full brother to Jody’s Pride named Moreperfectunion, as well as a yearling full brother who has already been named Jody’s Legacy. Jody’s Song was bred to champion Epicenter (Not This Time) last year and is a half-sister to stakes winner Make Mischief (Into Mischief). They are out of the Speightstown mare Speightful Lady, who won a maiden special on debut, then was sent into the then-G2 Matron Stakes, in which she was unplaced.

Ranked sixth in 2023 on the general sire list, American Pharoah has sired 38 stakes winners, including seven G1 winners. Four of those are G1 winners on turf, and the plan for Jody’s Pride is to send the filly to the G2 Gazelle Stakes and then potentially to the G1 Kentucky Oaks.

As a result, the two daughters of the two brothers may meet on the racetrack in Kentucky to decide another sort of sibling rivalry.