1965-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1965 May Voice | Page 5

Probably the most famous picture of MIDNIGHT SUN, this
photograph was made in 1946 and appeared on the cover of
the BLUE RIBBON of that year.
A SALUTE TO
MIDNIGHT SUN
By Fred E. Friend
"The Horse of the Century”. . ."A Living Legend”
. . ."The Greatest of the Tennessee Walking Horse
Sires” — these are only three of the many glowing
tributes continually paid to the renowned Midnight
Sun, 410751, who on June 8 will celebrate his twenty-
fifth birthday, his Silver Anniversary.
Since it is so unusual that a famous stallion should
live to this age and during his lifetime become a
"living legend,” it is very appropriate that this pub­
lication, devoted exclusively to the Tennessee Walk­
ing Horse, should honor Midnight Sun with a special
"Salute.’’This brief sketch and the excellent selection
of photographs on these pages form our Birthday
Greeting to this undeniably great horse. We wish for
him many more years of productive service to the
breed he so magnificently represents.
The name of Midnight Sun is altogether linked with
the Harlinsdale Farm, of Franklin, Tennessee. For
more than twenty-one years of his life the stallion
has been "at home” on this famous establishment.
Therefore, we talked with the owners of this farm,
Mr. W. W. HARLIN, of Franklin, and Mr. A. F.
HARLIN, of Nashville, and with the manager of
the farm, Mr. HARLIN HAYES, to secure our infor­
mation. "We knew about the horse and had looked
him over as a colt,” related Mr. W. W. Harlin, "but,
frankly, we were never very much impressed with
him until he was a four-year-old. It apparently took
him a while to fill out and really begin to look like
something we’d want to own.”
"You see,” joined in Mr. A. F. Harlin, "we already
had No Limit Allen and Gold Bond in service here,
but we were especially interested in the horse be­
cause of his Wilson’s Allen breeding.”
"We also had the strong recommendation of the
late HENRY DAVIS, one of the shrewdest judges
of Walking Horses who ever lived. Henry told us that
this horse would become the greatest breeding horse
the Tennessee Walking Horse breed has ever seen,”
continued Mr. W. W. Harlin, "and I guess the record
May, 1965
shows that Henry was as good a judge of horses as
we thought he was.”
"Henry Davis negotiated our purchase of the horse
from Mr. JOHN A. HENDRICKSON of Manchester,”
recalled Mr. A. F. Harlin, "and we wereon our way.”
Thus it was that Joe Lewis Wilson, foaled June 8,
1940 on the farm of S. M. RAMSEY at Viola, Tennes­
see, came to Harlinsdale Farm and became, in a hap­
py inspiration of name-changing, Midnight Sun.
September 8, 1945, Midnight Sun became the first
stallion to win the coveted horseshoe symbolizing
the Grand Championship of the Tennessee Walking
Horse National Celebration. He was an impressive
champion. THE TENNESSEE WALKING HORSE
MAGAZINE for October, 1945, contained an account
of his victory and emphasized the bloodlines which
had crossed well to produce such a superior perform­
er. The author, probably JIMMY JOE MURRAY,
concluded, "Therefore, a new World’s Champion has
been made for the breed through his ancestry, Roan
Allen F-38 and Hunter’s Allen F-10, with the com­
bined blood of the Trotter and Pacer. Long be his
years in lending the glory of noble ancestry for the
achievement of the Tennessee Walking Horse. Let
his tribe increase. May many future stars in the
Walking Horse firmament be placed there by the
get of Midnight Sun!”
His repeating as Grand Champion in 1946 and
his other sparkling victories in the show ring were
anticlimaxes, as his impressive championship in 1945
had already marked him as the likely successor to
Wilson’s Allen, the sire of champions. His confident
owners and his admiring public did not have long
to wait for the prophetic wish quoted above to begin
becoming a reality. In 1949 Midnight Merry, a power­
ful three-year-old filly, walked away with the World
Grand Championship, and the progeny of Midnight
Sun thus began their domination of the most coveted
honors for which Walking Horses compete.
Look at the record in brief: Midnight Sun is the
sire of the Grand Champion Walking Horses of 1949,
(Continued on page 6)
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