Harness: King Of The North heads to Tara Hills Stud

True to his name, 2021 Dan Patch 2-Year-Old Trotting Colt of the Year and Breeders Crown champion, King Of The North (3,1:50 3/5 | $1,166,854), will head north of the border as the heir apparent to the trotting stallion throne.

After much deliberation, Kountry Lane Standardbreds are announcing that the richest son of siring sensation Walner will stand at Tara Hills Stud in Port Perry, Ontario, for stud duties in 2023.

King Of The North will lead the charge of an exciting new generation of trotting genetics, ticking all the boxes expected of any world-class stallion with the pedigree, race resume, and striking good looks to match.

Few, if any, trotting stallions can lay claim to being a world champion, by a world champion, and out of a world champion like King Of The North.

Upon making his grand entrance to the stallion market in 2023, King Of The North will become the first son of Walner to be available to trotting breeders anywhere in the world.

Walner's impact on the studbook has been nothing short of remarkable, with his first two crops taking the trotting world by storm. The magnificent son of Chapter Seven wasted no time in knocking his own sire off his perch, leading the money list for 2YO trotters with his debut crop in 2021, with world-champion juveniles such as Venerable (2,1:52 | $1,153,514), King Of The North, and millionaire Jiggy Jog S (2,1:52 2/5; 3,1:50 | $1,122,718).

King Of The North's dam is the world champion Donato Hanover mare Check Me Out (4, 1:51 2/5 | $1,903,795), who was both the Dan Patch and O'Brien Award-winning filly at age 2 and 3, setting world records for her age and sex along the way.

Check Me Out's grand dam is the millionaire-earning world champion and 1997 3YO filly of the year No Nonsense Woman, showcasing the great depth to the maternal family King Of The North inherits, something every great stallion requires.

On the track, King Of The North led all 2-year-old colt trotters in earnings in 2021, with $578,915. He won six of his 10 starts for trainer Ray Schnittker and driver Mark MacDonald and took a record of 1:52 4/5.

His triumphs included the $505,600 William Wellwood Memorial, $293,450 Peter Haughton Memorial, and $200,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes final, enough to see him crowned as the 2021 2YO Trotting Colt of the Year.

King Of The North has won three of his last four starts this season before retiring to stallion duty, including the 2022 $591,300 Breeders Crown, where he took his lifetime mark of 1:50 3/5. That was the fastest mile ever by a 3-year-old trotter in the history of the Breeders Crown. It was also the fastest Canadian mile ever by a colt and a Woodbine Mohawk Park track record.

King Of The North stands his debut season at stud for a fee of $12,000 (USD).

Pending fertility tests, a decision will be made for public shareholder opportunities.

For more information on King Of The North, go to Tara Hills Stud website by clicking here or contact David Heffering: 905-985-7770

-edited release (by Brad Reid)