Spotlight: Northview Stallion Station, Pennsylvania Division

Northview Stallion Station, a respected Maryland farm since 1989, recently opened a new division in Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania. On January 25, the farm hosted an Open House to showcase its five resident stallions, Congressionalhonor, Fairbanks, Love of Money, Medallist, and Partner’s Hero.

This was my first stallion show and it was a fantastic experience. A good crowd was on hand to inspect the stallions, including a laughably large number of photographers- my unofficial count numbered over 10! They must have all had the same itchy shutter finger that I had. The barns are spacious, airy, and beautiful and they are set on lovely property with fantastic fencing. The staff handing both the stallions and the people are helpful, knowledgeable, and clearly had great pride in the reputation of the farm.

And the horses? Fantastic! All horses were beautifully cared for and represent great variety of bloodlines, body types, and optimal racing distances.

Congressionalhonor, a nicely-balanced, graded stakes-winning half brother to Horse of the Year Saint Liam:

Fairbanks, the new kid on the block. Fairbanks was recently retired from racing and is standing stud for the first time in 2009. During the stallion show, his pleasant demeanor was mentioned- apparently, he is a very nice horse to work with on and off the track. He did not have the sleek and sassy look of the other stallions yet and still maintained a racehorse’s physique- he also did not walk with the swagger of the other stallions. All of this will change this spring ;^)

Love of Money, a son of popular Maryland stallion Not For Love and winner of the G2 Pennsylvania Derby:

Medallist, multiple graded stakes-winning and record setting son of Touch Gold:

Last but not least was Partner’s Hero, stakes-winning son of the inimitable Danzig and half brother to Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner and champion sprinter Safely Kept:

Partner’s Hero is 15 years old and he has quite a presence to him. Although some of the younger, new stallions attracted a lot of attention, this horse’s demeanor and personality could not be ignored. He is a large horse and he carries himself proudly- it appeared to me that he was an old pro at the stallion shows and was the king of the castle.

Does that face look familiar? Partner’s Hero is the sire of Ian, a talented jumper at my barn. The resemblance between the two horses is striking, don’t you think?