At the KWPN stallion show  for harness horses in Hardenberg, several older stallions were shown in-hand. A special showcase was scheduled around the stallion Patijn. Stallion chairman Henk Rootveld announced that Patijn was awarded the highest honor a breeding stallion can achieve, the predicate preference.

Patijn, who was shown in-hand, sired a respectable number of show horses but also good keuring horses. With a breeding value of 169, he is the leader of the index. With winning multiple championships, Patijn himself also has an impressive track record. He was born in 1997, a son of the ster preferent mare Julony (s.Renovo). Breeder H. van Til and his wife were also honored along with the Veenstra family and the late H. Boelens, owners of Patijn.