A Fine Romance
1991 Thoroughbred
16 2.5hh dark brown
Approved by: Jockey Club Registry, Canadian Sporthorse Association, ISR/OldenburgNA, Canadian Trakehner Association, listed with APHA, APHC, and AQHA (Incentive Fund nominated)
"We are delighted to welcome such an accomplished and prepotent stallion to our Guest Stallion line-up. His championship winning conformation and athleticism is predictable from his impeccable breeding. His influence is suitable for all sporthorse breeding prospects, especially hunters, eventers, and dressage. He is an excellent outcross stallion for warmblood mares. A Fine Romance has all it takes to become a foundation Thoroughbred sire for our North American breeding programs."
--Susanne Hassler,
Director of Hilltop Farm, Inc. Breeding Division
(A Fine Romance stood as guest stallion at Hilltop in 2006)
A Fine Romance is one of Canada's most preeminent sporthorse stallions, with outstanding international bloodlines for both the Thoroughbred racing and equestrian sport worlds. I originally bred him to be sold as a racehorse through the select yearling sales, I fell in love with his beauty, sweet character, and expressive movement, and chose to keep him for my breeding program at Tamarack Lane Farm in Brantford, Ontario. Not only did he surpass our greatest dreams and expectations, he created a legacy of his own through his accomplishments and those of his offspring.
A Fine Romance is one of Canada's winning-most stallions. He started his show career late in his two-year old year, showing in hand. His win and Reserve Grand Championships at that first show was the beginning of a remarkable successful in-hand career.
His expansive list of accomplishments includes a record six-time reign as Grand Champion Thoroughbred Colt or Stallion, six Jockey Club Challenge trophies, and six Canadian Sport Horse Association Stallion Championships at the Royal Winter Fair, Canada's most prestigious show. He has also been a multi-time winner Champion and Grand Champion Sport Horse and Thoroughbred Stallion at every breed show entered in Canada and was undefeated in the last five-years of his career showing in hand. Judges who have pinned him on top include Ray Francis, Betty Oare, Ernest Oare, Bucky Renynolds, and Rodney Jenkins among others. His successes have earned him numerous Canadian Sport Horse Association end-of-year Championships, Grand Championships and Horse of the Year awards.
But showing on the line, as successful as that was, was never the focus of his career. Performance was. Bred to be an athlete, A Fine Roamnce started his performance career with international event rider and former coach of the Canadian Olympic Event Team Peter Gray. A Fine Romance further proved his innate abilities for sport on the Eventing circuit under Olympic equestrian Peter Gray, earning his Bronze Premium award with the Canadian Sporthorse Association.
A Fine Romance then went on to a very successful career as a Champion A-Circuit Working Hunter under Canada’s Peter Stoekl. Peter called him "a wonderful horse-a great mover, a great jumper, and a real gentleman. He is absolutely honest and brave.” Winning multiple Championships titles, his sport records and those of his offspring earned A Fine Romance "Gold Premium status" with the Canadian Sport Horse Association, the highest honor granted. Upon inspection and further testing, he was accepted and approved into a number of warmblood registries including the Canadian Trakehner and the ISR/OldenburgNA, one of the few Thoroughbred sport horse stallions to be so recognized.
In 1997, Peter Gray took A Fine Romance into training as a 5- & 6-year old to develop him toward the requirements needed to earn his lifetime breeding license with the Canadian Sport Horse Association. He competed successfully at the Training Level and earning the utmost respect from Peter and other fine horsemen. Gray, the former Canadian Olympic Three-Day coach, called A Fine Romance "the most outstanding performance stallion of his generation, with an unequalled combination of movement, jumping ability, athleticism, speed, courage, and a kind intelligent temperament." Peter Gray was very outspoken for A Fine Romance's talent to achieve the highest level of sport.
Having seen the physical demands at the highest levels of the sport of Eventing, I chose to redirect his career toward the A-Circuit as a Working Hunter. The prestigious Royal Winter Fair of Canada, held in Toronto each fall, became the next platform upon which A Fine Romance earned titles and top regard from international panels of judges. Senior Canadian Equestrian Federation and AHHA Hunter Judge, Trainer, and Author, Randy Roy, called him "An athlete with style and manners, able to compete and win at the highest levels." British and American Olympian Tim Grubb declared "He's a real 'eyeful,' an athlete with phenomenal attitude."