Richard Golden, CEO of clothing manufacturer Dorby Frocks Ltd., spent each weekday commuting from his Wilmington, Del., home to his New York City office. But weekends and any other time in between was for the horses, as Golden minded matters at his 575-acre Sycamore Hall Farm near Chesapeake City, Md., and Northview Stallion Station, of which he was managing partner.

As Northview became a regional success story and the linchpin of the Maryland stallion market, Golden reflected on Maryland’s Thoroughbred industry.

“I believe it is better than it has ever been. I don’t want to sound self-serving but I have always felt that the stallions in any region are the basis for how that region’s business is going to perform.

“As long as the quality of our stallions keeps growing, and the offspring of those stallions run in the Maryland Million and other races, the region will keep growing.”

• Edward L. Bowen reflected on Maryland-bred Tred Avon, widely regarded as the best older distaffer of 1932, whose 22 career victories included a defeat of the mighty Equipoise. A gray daughter of *Sir Greysteel out of a *Durbar II mare, Tred Avon was bred and owned by Sylvester W. Labrot, owner of Holly Beach Farm in Anne Arundel County, Md., and named for a river on the Eastern Shore.
  
  A section of the countryside of Holly Beach was retained as green space when the family turned over a portion of it to the state, and it is now known as Sandy Point State Park.
  
  
• John P. Pons, a three-term president of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association during the 1950s and longtime leader in Maryland’s Thoroughbred racing and breeding industries, died in January at 80.
  
  Instrumental in helping his father Adolphe develop Country Life Farm in Bel Air, Pons worked with his brother Joe to stand a succession of prominent stallions including Saggy (sire of 1961 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Carry Back), Correspondent (sire of 1961 Belmont Stakes winner Sherluck), Big Brave and Rash Prince.