Maybe they don't need to know -- pressure to perform and all that -- but the stallions in the Mid-Atlantic have work to do.
Great Notion, Maryland's leading sire for the last eight years and the top sire in the region for the last four, was pensioned from stallion duty by Northview Stallion Station. A part of the Chesapeake City farm's stallion roster since 2005, he turns 26 this month, and his final crop arrives this year. He left an impact -- fueled by progeny earnings approaching $50 million and regional stars such as Coastal Mission, Future Is Now, Witty, Anna's Bandit, Lewisfield, Talk Show Man, Jazzy Idea and others. The success rolled right on through to 2025 juvenile standouts Just Philtored, Slewperstitus and Big Cuddle and even the 2025 Maryland Horse Breeders Association yearling show champion.
Great Notion's retirement won't necessarily send dozens of mares to other stallions -- Northview limited his book over the last several season -- but 35 or so need a new mate and his absence will be felt.
"It's a big hole," said breeder Lizzie Merryman, who bought a lifetime breeding right after seeing her mare Runs Numbers' 2011 foal by the bay son of Elusive Quality.
"If you didn't have a share in him, you've had a hard time getting to him lately but saying that, it leaves a gaping hole in the Mid-Atlantic stallion ranks," said breeder and bloodstock advisor George Adams.
"Great Notion made us look smart, a lot smarter than we probably are," said breeder Eric Rizer, who sent two mares to the stallion for several years.
"There were some real question marks about him -- we couldn't get fertility insurance on him, his race record was OK; it was an absolute gamble. . ." said breeder Dr. Tom Bowman, who vetted Great Notion for Northview in 2004. "He had small crops to start, people weren't particularly interested in him, and it took him several years to prove his quality, but for whatever reason his offspring have proved their merit."
"It could be years before somebody steps in to [fill his shoes]," said Rodney Eckenrode, who stands three stallions at Equistar Training and Breeding in Pennsylvania. "Maybe in five or six years we'll be having a different conversation. Those horses are hard to come by. He contributed to the breed."
While Great Notion gets a stall and a paddock at Northview for the rest of his life, his compatriots start breeding mares next month while trying to emulate him in a United States stallion climate dominated by Kentucky. The 2026 lineup includes Northview newcomer Post Time, Kentucky transplant Cross Traffic in Virginia, regional runner-up Cloud Computing, the climbing-the-ladder Blofeld, Maryland fixtures Uncle Lino, Golden Lad, Divining Rod and Mosler, and others at various levels and waypoints in their careers.
Regardless of your place in it, the stallion business demands patience and something of a gambler's mentality. The mares bred this year will foal in 2027. At the earliest, those foals won't race until spring/summer 2029. They will be 3-year-olds of 2030, which feels a long way off.
"The point of breeding to regional stallions is to play the long game," said Adams. "Breed to race. If you're planning to sell the foal, you're hoping to break even and hoping it's going to earn you breeder bonuses years down the road. I've bred plenty of Maryland-breds, and everyone knows the uncertainty of racing in Maryland, but they're still paying those bonuses. You can still have a Maryland-bred, Delaware-certified, Virginia-certified horse, get to the races in all of those states and collect those checks."
Stallion owners don't have it any easier.
"A regional farm either wants to own the stallion so they can collect the bonuses or stand a stallion that will come with a lot of mares they can board," Adams said. "Why are you going to spend the money it would take to bring a really attractive stallion prospect to the region? There are limited mares, people don't want to spend a lot of money on a stud fee and if he really hits, you're going to move him to Kentucky."
Not that farms stops trying. For all the uncertainty in the Thoroughbred industry, people still breed, raise, race, buy, sell and market future and present racehorses. The process often begins with a stallion choice and, collectively, regional stallions will cover several hundred mares this year. And mare owners have options.
The Heir Apparent?
While not the only first-year stallion in the region for 2026, Post Time monopolizes the attention.
For starters, his race record -- 12 wins, eight in stakes, a Grade 3 win, a Grade 2 win, three Grade 1 placings and $1,498,705 in earnings -- rivals that of any recent regional stallion. Second, he's something of a local hero as a Maryland-bred who won 11 races in the state for Hillwood Stable. Third, the son of Frosted married all that with a showman's personality complete with hind-legs-only walks to the track at Fair Hill, Laurel Park, Saratoga, Del Mar and anywhere else he traveled.
Hillwood owner Ellen Charles sent Maryland-based Grade 3 winner Bandbox to Northview after his racing career ended in 2014, but the son of Tapit died in 2021. Post Time, a grandson of Tapit, looks to expand on the concept at a $4,000 stud fee after one final stakes start planned by trainer Brittany Russell in December.
"We've had steady interest from people asking when he's coming," said Northview's Paul O'Loughlin, who mentioned a January open house for breeders. "The first day we announced him we did a bunch of contracts. He raced all the way through age 5, that's a positive, he won at 6 furlongs to a mile-and-an-eighth, he showed up in big races. There's a lot to like."
Though he won the General George-G3 and Carter-G2 in 2024, Post Time's most notable races were seconds in the Metropolitan Handicap-G1 and Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile-G1, and a third in the Whitney-G1, that year. If any of those were wins, he might be in Kentucky.
Post Time's Maryland-bred dam Vielsalm won seven races and placed in the 2016 Gallorette-G3 at Pimlico Race Course for co-breeder Brooke Bowman. Vielsalm's sire Fairbanks won't make anyone forget *Princequillo, but the immediate female family includes stakes winners Undercover, My Magician and Bye Bye J, Grade 1 winners that include Rose's Cantina, Fancy Naskra and Montreal Red, and a host of winners.
"His female family has plenty of black-type horses," said Adams, who owns a mare from the family he'll send to Essential Quality in hopes of mimicking the cross that produced Post Time. "It's a nice family, a local family, there's plenty for people to like and get behind. Like with all stallions, it's going to take a few years before we know."
Hoping to capture some of the Northview magic they realized with Great Notion, Rizer and his wife Nancy invested in Post Time and will send a mare this year.
"They called us and said they appreciate the support we've given them," said Eric. "It was a no-brainer. We like supporting the Maryland breeding program."
Merryman -- whose Great Notion homebred Witty is closing in on $1 million in earnings -- will breed three mares this year, which makes choosing a first-year stallion over one with more of a track record difficult.
"There are so many first-year stallions that go to stud and don't make it, so it's kind of hard to bet on them," she said. "It will be interesting to see how he does though. You get so much value in Kentucky, but it's also nice to have the state-bred and state-sired programs behind you. I prefer to breed to the best horse I can breed to no matter what he's eligible for. With Great Notion I felt like I was doing that."
Of course, somebody sent mares to Great Notion in his first year, and that turned out OK. O'Loughlin hopes to attract 80 mares to the gray, who will get support from Northview owners Michael Golden and Lisa Hofstetter.
"I'd have said 100 a few years ago, but there aren't as many mares around now," he said. "I've done the math in my head a little bit so let's say 80. That's a good start for a first-year horse."
“Those guys did such a good job with that horse. Every time we lose that old blood, it’s that much more concerning. Americans being trendy, they’ll be fine but we need that old blood to preserve the bloodlines. He will greatly be missed.”
– Rodney Eckenrode, about the impact of Great Notion’s retirement
The Not So New Guys
In the Northview barn with Great Notion, Uncle Lino and Golden Lad look to fill the coming void without Blofeld's momentum or Post Time's buzz. They possess the statistics and breeders' opinions to attract mares -- with a boost from fee reductions to $1,500 on Uncle Lino and $2,500 on Golden Lad.
A son of Uncle Mo, Uncle Lino got a December boost when 2-year-old Lino Padrino won his debut in Dubai. The New Jersey-bred sold for $200,000 at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic's May sale and could be stakes bound in 2026. Nature's Candy won a Pennsylvania-bred stakes in October. West Virginia-bred Maggie's Girl won on West Virginia Breeders Classic night.
Maryland-bred Cluck Cluck won four in 2025, with seven seconds, in 12 starts (through mid-December). Pennsylvania-bred Crab Daddy came within a head of beating future Maryland Million Classic winner Barbadian Runner a year ago. Pennsylvania-bred Jean Valjean won a stakes in 2024 and flashed enough ability for Merryman that she'd consider sending a mare.
"If I was going to breed one mare regionally it would probably be to Uncle Lino," she said. "They're very talented and have a lot of speed."
Golden Lad's first runners came in 2019, a year ahead of Uncle Lino, and included eight-time stakes winner Hello Beautiful. Caprice won six races as a 2-year-old in 2024 for Pennsylvania breeders Greg and Caroline Bentley. Maryland-bred Takethemoneyhoney, out of a Great Notion mare, has won four of six with two seconds, was a stakes winner at Monmouth in May, and was beaten a head in a stakes at Laurel in November in her return.
The Rizers have supported the son of Medaglia d'Oro, and liked the results.
"Is he going to be the one?" Eric asked about a successor to Great Notion. "He just wasn't on the level of Great Notion, but he's solid and maybe this is his chance."
Country Life Farm stallions Mosler and Divining Rod are in similar positions, though they're behind the Northview duo in terms of runners and crops on the way to the races. A son of War Front, Mosler started 2025 with two stakes wins and two graded-stakes placings by son Quint's Brew, who was on the comeback trail for trainer Ned Allard, and finished it with two winners on Maryland Million Day 2025. He had 14 percent stakes horses per starters during the year. Divining Rod sired three stakes winners, including juveniles Magic Wallet and Divine Intentions, and his daughter Next Girl won a $100,000 race on the Claiming Crown card at Churchill Downs in November, her seventh lifetime score.
Anchor and Hope Farm's Bourbon Courage and Country Life's Friesan Fire, both graded stakes sires, looked like they could muscle into the regional stallion picture for a time, but their mare numbers have declined.
The Arrivals
Kentucky transplants have been part of the regional stallion market for years and the 2026 season will be no different. Cloud Computing stands his third season at Pennsylvania's Pin Oak Lane Farm. The son of Maclean's Music arrived with big crops behind him and has been a fixture near the top of the regional standings since. Late in 2025, he led all regional stallions with 170 runners and 100 winners while second to Great Notion in progeny earnings.
Cloud Computing bred 33 mares in 2025, after getting 45 in 2024. He stands for $3,500 and is represented by a dozen stakes winners including Pennsylvania-bred Grade 2 winner I'm Very Busy.
Cupid, who moved to Maryland for the 2024 season, bred identical books of 52 mares in his first two seasons at Atlanta Hall Farm. Like Cloud Computing, the son of Tapit was buoyed by big early crops and his progeny includes champions Casta Diva and God of Love, in Puerto Rico and Canada, respectively, and Grade 1 winner Carson's Run, multiple New York stakes winner Sterling Silver and Grade 2 winner Desert Dawn, all millionaires. Atlanta Hall's Gary Murray said early opinions on the gray horse's first Maryland-bred foals have been positive.
"Everybody who has a foal, we've only had foals born in Maryland, seems to love the ones they have," Murray said. "I have six or seven in the field and I don't have a bad one in the batch. Great Notion, what an amazing stallion, but there's a battle going on in Maryland for second with Uncle Lino, Cupid and Golden Lad. That's a healthy thing when you have stallions behind a horse like Great Notion. I hope I win, but that's a good thing. They are decent, hard-knocking stallions."
Murray looks forward to the day Cupid's Maryland-sired foals race in the region, but for now follows the feats of Casta Diva, Puerto Rico's 2024 Horse of the Year, Indiana-bred standout Cupid's Runaway and Louisiana-bred 2-year-old filly Thrill Seeker who placed in a stakes in her second start after winning in November.
"They're nice horses," Murray said. "Sometimes they need a bit of time, but if you give them that time, they stay around forever. We'd like to have representation at the local tracks where we stand, but that will come in time. Hopefully we're looking at it in a few years."
Cupid's co-owner Tony Mills died in December at age 60, leaving Murray with questions about the future and -- more importantly -- an absent friend.
"He got great joy in following Cupid and the progeny," said Murray, who attended the 2025 Maryland Million with Mills. "He loved the game and was only getting going. It's devastating, but that's what life throws at you sometimes."
For years, John Funkhouser pondered the idea of bringing a proven sire to the region -- specifically Virginia -- and made good on the concept with the arrival of Cross Traffic for 2026. The former Spendthrift Farm stallion -- North America's leading freshman sire of 2018 -- will stand at Mt. Airy Farm in Millwood while hoping to capitalize on momentum in the state.
"With everything that Virginia's doing, it's obvious they're one of the states that's growing," said Funkhouser, whose family has owned and operated O'Sullivan Farms in West Virginia since 1939. "Purses are up, the meet at Colonial Downs is growing, Virginia-restricted races are out there. I'm really excited to bring these bloodlines to the state and the region."
Champion 2-year-old filly Jaywalk was part of Cross Traffic's first crop, and he has also sired major winners Neecie Marie, Maple Leaf Mel, Ny Traffic (who stands in Pennsylvania), Here Mi Song and Defining Purpose. Jaywalk's success helped fuel a huge crop of 129 foals born in 2020, but his popularity declined with competition at Spendthrift and other Kentucky farms.
Funkhouser thinks a move can help change that.
"Proven horses like Cross Traffic are dismissed when they're Grade 1 producers and good stallions," he said. "It's a funny market we're in right now and a lot of these older, proven stallions go by the wayside. He was one of a handful I would love to move over here. Young horses are getting all the attention, not rightfully so because they haven't proven anything yet."
Funkhouser had to get creative to find a spot for Cross Traffic, who will be the first stallion to stand at the Mt. Airy property owned by Bridget Overcash. Mares will board at O'Sullivan and be shipped the 25 minutes or so to be bred. Cliff and Laura Robbins, who run a breaking/training farm adjacent to Mt. Airy, will handle Cross Traffic's day-to-day care.
"I have a farm in Virginia, more of a cattle property that I wouldn't want to stand a stallion at," said Funkhouser. "I reached out to Bridget, talked her through it, she came over and saw my farm and was much more at ease about it all. She has pleasure horses so it's different for her. It's a beautiful little farm."
Cross Traffic spent his first few months in the region at O'Sullivan and was slated to move to Mt. Airy -- once the home of the influential historic racehorse and stallion Sir Archy -- in February. Funkhouser planned an open house for Feb. 7
The Wild Cards
Play stallion round-robin for a minute (or 12), the next Great Notion might not be one of the more familiar names mentioned so far. He might be a horse you've hardly even considered.
Well, consider away.
Northview stallions Engage and Galawi (Ire) exceeded expectations in their first seasons with runners -- even finding spots among the top 25 freshmen sires in North America. Backed by 41 foals in his first crop, Engage produced six winners from 21 runners through Dec. 18. The son of Into Mischief got a win and two stakes placings from Vita Mia and two wins from horses out of Great Notion mares. Galawi's first crop only went to 18, but included 10 runners and four winners. Daughter Ginger Snap finished third in the Maryland Million Lassie and won a maiden special weight in late October for the Rizers.
If those Northview stallions aren't far enough outside the box, consider their coworker First Mondays. The son of Curlin's first three crops include just 28 foals. Seventeen have started, 11 are winners, three are stakes performers. That success was enough to move him into the farm's marketing and get some attention. He'll stand for $1,000 in 2025, another arrow in the quiver for O'Loughlin when talking to mare owners.
"He's on the roster for real now, he's earned it," said O'Loughlin.
"The horse has been successful. Horses like him help me."
Bred in Maryland by Tom and Chris Bowman and Milton Higgins III, First Mondays has been turning heads since his earliest days. He sold for $450,000 to Chuck Zacney as a Timonium yearling in 2016 -- top price of the sale -- added Jim Dresher's Glenangus Farm as a partner and won his first two starts for trainer John Servis in summer 2018 at Gulfstream Park and followed with a third in the Grade 3 Smarty Jones. Four losses followed and he was retired with ankle problems.
"He's a son of a Curlin, there are a million of them; he showed some promise, there are a million of them; he didn't have the personality to be a riding horse or a lead pony," said Tom Bowman. "It came down to a decision to try to capitalize on his potential and his pedigree and see if we could make something out of nothing."
Focusing on mares who showed soundness and durability, Bowman tried to make First Mondays a stallion at the family's Roland Farm in Chesapeake City. During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We found out we couldn't handle the job," Bowman said. "It was difficult to have enough employees on the farm; it was difficult to convince people to travel. We bred four mares to him, and I was pretty much out of answers."
For 2021, Northview's David Wade offered to board First Mondays, handle the matings, keep costs low. Bowman recruited mares, saw the stallion's three foals and kept working at it. First Mondays bred 29 mares in 2021 and followed up with 16 in 2022.
"Without Northview I was dead in the water," Bowman said. "All they've done is be the most cooperative group you can imagine. It's the sort of stuff people don't do for each other. The responsibility for his success lies at least partly with Northview's gesture of friendship."
And the horse, whose offspring include five-time winner Blue Kingdom (an Aqueduct allowance winner in November and third in the Maryland Million Classic) and flat and hurdle winner Starlifter, both first-crop stakes-placed runners, and stakes-placed juvenile winner Lundi Loot.
"I don't know," said Bowman about how far the horse could climb.
"It's not whether he's proven he has some merit at this point, it's how many mares are there and where do people find a path to him? A lot of the people we talk to now talk about how expensive it is. Well, an inexpensive stallion with this kind of potential would be a significant draw and now he's at least something people will recognize."
Equistar welcomes the first foals from Zozos, who bred 38 mares in 2025. The son of Munnings won seven races, earned $1 million on the racetrack and keeps Eckenrode thinking positively.
"He bred some really nice mares so he's going to get some good opportunities," Eckenrode said. "He proved he looks the part and he ran the part. Now he's got to prove he can get horses that look the part. I was happy with the mares we got and the number; there just aren't many mares around or people who have mares."
Equistar also stands 25-year-old Hall of Famer Smarty Jones and the Giant's Causeway horse Brody's Cause, whose books included 10 and 13 mares in 2025. Brody's Cause sired 45 winners in 2025 (through Dec. 18), third among active sires in Pennsylvania.
"I thought about another horse, but there's just not enough mares," Eckenrode said. "We're all fighting over the same mares and I have a return client base that has 60 or 70 mares we breed every year. We'd just be moving them from one horse to another."
West Virginia stallion Barbados got a huge boost from Maryland-bred star Barbadian Runner in 2025, news Ronney Brown hopes translates to even more mares in 2026. Far from a one-horse wonder, Barbados was up to 17 winners (from just 19 runners) on the year and was third in the state -- behind Juba and Fiber Sonde -- by progeny earnings with nearly $1.5 million. The son of Speightstown stood at Maryland's Shamrock Farm in 2024, but was in limbo (and Kentucky) until Brown connected with owner Paul Hanifl late in the year. The move to Pellinor Lane Farm, owned by Brown and his wife Nicole, resulted in 20 mares bred in 2025.
"With the success he's had it should be better this year," said Brown, who co-owns the horse with Hanifl. "Barbadian Runner helps tremendously, but to know you're going to get a solid racehorse to run is a big positive. He's correct, stands up good, gets versatile horses. He's never had a bad day."
