Saturday Sires: Medaglia d'Oro

It's been 17 years now that we've been treated to 2-year-olds by Medaglia d'Oro. From his first GII Golden Rod Stakes winner in his first crop–Rachel Alexandra, a filly who went on to beat the boys more than once and was eventually named Horse of the Year–to his latest this past weekend in perfect four-for-four Good Cheer, the Darley mainstay and ageless wonder continues to amaze and delight.

“It's so gratifying for him in the autumn of his career to be hitting these heights,” said Darley's Darren Fox. “He's been good to a lot of people, not just us [at Darley].

“He is that perfect bull's-eye of a horse in that he delivers on the racetrack, but he also produces stunning individuals, and a stallion with that profile has a very high ceiling. If you can run and look good while doing so,” said Fox with a laugh, “well, he just brings all the money.”

Adding to Medaglia d'Oro's 2-year-old haul in 2024 are uber-impressive GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity winner and 'TDN Rising Star' East Avenue, as well as MGISP Nitrogen, whose placings included the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. There's also SW & GSP Shifty and plenty of others with promise, such as French 'Rising Star' Jovialite and last week's Fair Grounds debut maiden winner Hot Property.

If a freshman sire had this sort of juvenile crop, his future at the top level would be very much assured. Medaglia d'Oro will be 26 next month.

“It really is an incredible purple patch that he is experiencing at the moment,” said Fox, “and it looks like we've got plenty of exciting days to come heading into next year.”

Just as Good Cheer wasn't his only graded winner last week, it's not solely with 2-year-olds that Medaglia d'Oro excels. Loved, a 5-year-old, won the GIII Falls City Stakes at Churchill Downs on Thanksgiving for her first graded score. That's part of Medaglia d'Oro's prowess–he gets top runners at all ages and levels. In fact, Medaglia d'Oro's overall career statistics are an embarrassment of riches. Highlights include 27 Grade I/Group 1 winners, 94 graded winners, 182 black-type winners, and more than 300 stakes performers. In addition to Rachel Alexandra, his multiple champions include Songbird and Hong Kong superstar Golden Sixty (Aus). He has four Breeders' Cup winners, two GI Kentucky Oaks winners, a GI Preakness winner, a G1 Golden Slipper winner, a Queen's Plate winner, and that doesn't even touch on some of his exceptional MGISWs like Elate, Marketing Mix, Cambier Parc, or Bolt d'Oro. He's also had 35 'TDN Rising Stars'.

Among career results of all living active sires in North America, Medaglia d'Oro ranks third behind only Tapit and Into Mischief. That's heady company. He and Tapit both entered stud in 2005.

“Medaglia d'Oro is the sire of my number one horse of all time in Rachel Alexandra,” said Fox. “From that day I've just been, like everyone, a super fan of the stallion and just been so impressed with what he's done and what he continues to do.

“He's gold in name and gold in nature. They are stunning individuals–consistently so–and they sell accordingly. He gets beautiful horses that are extremely talented and effective on both surfaces which certainly broadens his appeal. He's certainly had some good success in the Southern Hemisphere, has some in Europe, does well in the States on dirt and turf, and has established a sire line and is a really effective broodmare sire, so there's nothing he hasn't done or no domain he hasn't conquered.”

Fox continued: “He's a rare one. You have to go through a lot of stallions to find a Medaglia d'Oro and we're certainly very lucky that he has spent the time with us that he has.”

Among Medaglia d'Oro's sire sons are Hill 'n' Dale's Violence and Spendthrift's Bolt d'Oro. While the Darley sire didn't have a Breeders' Cup winner this year, two of his sons did: the late Fast Anna scored with Thorpedo Anna in the Distaff and Oklahoma's Atreides had Soul of an Angel in the Filly & Mare Sprint. Fox said it is hoped East Avenue will eventually join Medaglia d'Oro in the Darley stallion barn.

“For us with a colt like East Avenue, who has serious stallion potential, to carry the line forward is extra, extra gratifying. His performance in the Breeders' Futurity was an exceptional performance. He was a little unlucky in the Breeders' Cup, but he is still a highly talented, highly rated colt that we're very excited about moving forward.”

Medaglia d'Oro's daughters are also making their mark. With a co-leading 29 black-type winners in 2024 out of his daughters, Medaglia d'Oro is third on the North American broodmare sire list by earnings this year. Among his 121 stakes winners as a damsire are new Spendthrift stallion National Treasure (Quality Road) and young Gainesway stallion Olympiad (Speightstown).

A $1.35-million yearling colt, a full-brother to Rachel Alexandra, at the most recent Keeneland September sale | Keeneland

By any measure, Medaglia d'Oro has always been and continues to be a star. He had a $1.35-million yearling at Keeneland September, bringing his tally of million-dollar sales horses to 56.

“His performance in the sales ring has always been one of his strengths,” mused Fox. “They averaged around $290,000 this year. I don't know what more you could ask for of any stallion, never mind a stallion of his vintage.”

Fox said the only true concession to Medaglia d'Oro's age is a bit of a smaller book than in past years. He bred 88 mares in 2024 and is slated to stand for $75,000 in 2025.

“We've cut his book back a little bit throughout the years, stair stepped down with his increasing age. We're cognizant of that, but I will say he looks in incredible physical shape. Our stallion manager, Graham Lovatt, says he's still the strongest horse in the breeding shed. He doesn't look anywhere near his age, he's just in incredible physical condition. He's a horse who definitely belies his age in every aspect.

“He's in rude health and when he walks, he walks with purpose. He's still just a phenom. You don't run a 120 Beyer in your career by being a slouch! He certainly is carrying that physical performance into his later career in his movement and overall health. He's just doing phenomenally well right now.”

Speaking of that 120 Beyer Speed Figure, Medaglia d'Oro had an interesting race career. It may seem ridiculous to say a three-time Grade I winner and $5.7-million earner had a bit of an unlucky time on the track, but the son of the Sadler's Wells sire El Prado (Ire) had some very notable near misses. The seven-time graded winner was second in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic–twice–as well as in the GI Belmont Stakes, G1 Dubai World Cup, GI Pacific Classic, and GI Wood Memorial.

Bred by Albert and Joyce Bell and initially trained by David Vance, he was privately purchased by Edmund Gann and turned over to trainer Bobby Frankel early in his 3-year-old campaign. Medaglia d'Oro would win the GI Travers Stakes at three for Gann, as well as the GI Whitney Handicap at four and the GI Donn Handicap at five.

“I think his speed figures tell the true story of just what a consistent and unbelievably talented racehorse he was,” said Fox. “In essence, that's what he was, that's what he possessed, and that's what he's passing on. His raw talent. He was first or second in 15 of 17 lifetime starts. My favorite stat on this horse is that in those 17 starts, he ran 14 triple-digit Beyers. He had a 120, a 119, a 118, two 117s, etc. Just a sheer level of brilliance.”

Undefeated Good Cheer won Saturday's Golden Rod | Renee Torbit/Coady Media

Richard and Audrey Haisfield purchased Medaglia d'Oro after his racing career and stood the then-6-year-old in 2005 at Hill 'n' Dale for $35,000 for his first season. In 2006, his second year at stud, Medaglia d'Oro was moved to the Haisfields' freshly built Stonewall Stallions near Midway. As his first runners began making noise on the racetrack, he attracted plenty of attention. First, Richard Santulli and Barry Weisbord purchased 20% of him in 2008, then WinStar began buying lifetime breeding rights in early 2009. Finally, in June of 2009, Sheikh Mohammed's Darley purchased a majority interest in the horse and moved him to Jonabell Farm near Lexington before that year's breeding season was even fully wrapped up. While his fee has varied, he has stood for as much as $250,000 and also spent several years shuttling to Australia, where he found more success.

“He reached peak value later in life than most stallions,” said Fox. “In 2017 he had seven individual Grade I winners including two Breeders' Cup winners, which prompted his fee to go to $250,000 for the 2018 season. At that point he was a 19-year-old stallion. For a horse that is 19 to reach his peak value of a quarter of a million, the result is he has so much good stuff playing out in the last few years.”

What could Medaglia d'Oro possibly still accomplish? Well, the return of East Avenue, who ranks as one of the early favorites for the 2025 GI Kentucky Derby, will be highly anticipated. On the filly side, Good Cheer is one of the early favorites for the Oaks. “Good Cheer is just incredible–she's done nothing wrong and has done everything with such ease, it's kind of scary,” added Fox.

There's that $1.35-million yearling colt, a full-brother to Rachel Alexandra, as well as a $975,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling filly out of a daughter of champion Folklore (Tiznow). For a soon-to-be 26-year-old stallion to have such prospects is remarkable.

“There's a lot of great stuff in the pipeline as evidenced by his recent performance on the track,” said Fox. “Medaglia d'Oro is definitely still living large at his current age.”

Long may he continue.