Breeders from the Mid-Atlantic region enjoyed the Stallion Show held at the Pons family’s Merryland Farm, in Hydes, Md., on Saturday, January 28. 

About 100 owners and breeders turned out to see the exciting freshman sire FRIESAN FIRE, a son of A. P. Indy out of the Grade-One winning mare Bollinger, by Dehere. Favored for the 2009 Kentucky Derby after his 7-length triumph in the $600,000 Louisiana Derby (gr. II), FRIESAN FIRE retired to Merryland with earnings of $679,356. His stud fee for 2012 is $4,000 live foal.

Saturday’s Stallion Show was the first at Merryland since the days of popular regional stallion Rock Talk, who sired 1983 Eclipse Award Champion 3-year-old filly Heartlight No. One. Friesan Fire is the first stallion to stand at Merryland since the Pons’ bought the farm ten years ago.

“The breeding industry in Maryland is rebounding as slot-machine revenues begin to impact purses and the Maryland-Bred Fund,” said Josh Pons, co-owner with his brother Michael of Merryland. “It was fun seeing familiar faces at Merryland on Saturday. Friesan Fire has ‘name-recognition’ with breeders because of his outstanding race record. And it’s great to have a son of A.P. Indy in the barn. We learned firsthand what a sire of sires A.P. Indy is, when we started Malibu Moon at stud in Maryland.”