Medaglia d'Oro

Named for the owner, an immigrant from Scotland who realized a Carnegie-kind of American Dream, it began as a 12-furlong turf race. Five years later in 1964 it was cut back to nine and moved to the dirt. The roll call of Donn H. winners through 2016 at Gulfstream Park reflects a roster of unique equine and human personalities, which is peppered with some magnificent performances that shouldn't be forgotten. Hall of Fame jockey Braulio Baeza won his first of three victories in 1969 aboard Funny Fellow and took home...

As we approach the opening of the 2024 breeding season, the TDN staff is once again sitting down with leading breeders to find out what stallions they have chosen for their mares, and why. Here we catch up with Larry Johnson, the owner of Legacy Farm in Bluemont, Virginia. "I'm trying to go from primarily breed-to-race to more commercial opportunities," said Johnson. A GREAT TIME (10, Street Magician - Short Time, by Clever Trick) to be bred to Constitution A homebred stakes winner of nearly $250,000 by my homebred stallion...

Today we conclude our survey of Kentucky stallion options with a look at the apex of the pyramid, comprising a couple of dozen standing between $60,000 and $250,000--besides whatever it might take to secure your mare an audience with Justify. It feels presumptuous enough to offer counsel even on cheaper sires, when each mating should boil down to you finding an optimal fit for an individual mare that you know inside out. Still greater hesitation, then, must precede any attempt to discover "value" among this lot. No stallion has any...

2nd-GP, $70K, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 12:39 p.m. Returning to the track for his second start after being disqualified from second at Monmouth Aug. 6, WONDERFINN (Justify) enters off back-to-back bullet works Nov. 13 (four furlongs in :48 1/5 {1/14}) and Nov. 20 (three furlongs in :36 2/5 {1/11}). The 2-year-old is out of a full-sister to trio of prolific Galileo siblings led by G1 Tattersalls Irish Two Thousand Guineas winner Magician (Ire) along with GSW Apple Betty (Ire) and SW/GISP Outstanding (Ire), herself the dam of MGSW Masteroffoxhounds (War...

Nothing Like You (Malibu Moon) gave Hall of Famer Bob Baffert a seventh straight victory in the GII Starlet S. at Los Alamitos Saturday evening. Drawn on the rail in the field of six, the last-out Desi Arnaz S. winner was sent to the front by Juan Hernandez and was pressed through an opening quarter in :23.24. She gained some separation through a half mile in :47.40, let it out a notch on the far turn and ran up the score in the stretch to win by 5 1/4 lengths...

6th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1mT, 3:21 p.m. ET. Bred by the Don Alberto Corporation, WASASHORE (Medaglia d'Oro) debuts for Michael and Katherine Ball, who paid $825,000 for her at last year's Keeneland September Sale. Trained by Tom Amoss, the bay filly is out of GSW Sacristy (Pulpit), a $700,000 purchase at '13 Keeneland November by Don Alberto while in-foal to Medaglia d'Oro. A half-sister to Japanese G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen S. heroine Mozu Superflare (Speightstown), the mare also produced GI Santa Anita Oaks runner-up Flor de La Mar (Tiznow). TJCIS...

While there may have been a few unanswered questions heading into Sunday's seventh race at Churchill Downs, there seemed to be none afterward. Installed the second betting choice behind the 7-5 choice, GISP Be You (Curlin), Nash (Medaglia d'Oro) completely dismantled his competition with seemingly little effort, cruising home an eye-catching 10 1/4-length winner while stamping himself a TDN Rising Star in the process. Sent screaming to the front in the blink of an eye, the 9-5 chance cut out an opening quarter in :23.83 and a half in :47.93....

4th-Meydan, AED165,000, Maiden, 3yo, 1600m, 1:39.07, ft. MESHTRI (c, 3, Medaglia d'Oro--Clothes Fall Off {MSW & MGSP, $485,860}, by Daaher) made the most of his belated racetrack debut to score by a hard-fought half-length. Spearing through to lead shortly after the break, the bay was overtaken by Nevershow Weakness (Lord Nelson) underneath him and was content to take the sit for the in-form James Orman. Asked to come after the front-runner as they turned into the straight, Meshtri drew on even terms with about 300 metres to travel and just...

4th-Aqueduct, $85,000, Msw, 11-5, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16mT, 1:42.89, fm, 3 1/4 lengths. DELAHAYE (f, 3, Medaglia d'Oro--Bella Carina, by War Front) was last seen missing by a neck on debut in February at Gulfstream Park. Rewarded as the 3-5 choice here, the dark bay was taken back into second along the rail as she passed the grandstand, waited for her cue around the far turn and she powered past War Princess (War Front) to triumphantly return to the races. Her unraced dam's first progeny, the winner has a yearling...

4th-KEE, $100K, Msw, 3yo/up, f, 6f, 2:36 p.m. ET. G. Watts Humphrey campaigned homebred Romantic Vision (Lemon Drop Kid), who won three out of her four tries at Keeneland, including the 2017 GI Juddmonte Spinster S. Now, her first offspring RARE AFFAIR (Medaglia d'Oro) debuts and like her dam, she's trained by Rusty Arnold. Romantic Vision is also responsible for a yearling colt by Nyquist, who just sold during Keeneland September for $700,000 to the Three Amigos, foaled a colt by Essential Quality Apr. 1 and she was bred to...

(Story courtesy of The Thoroughbred Breeders' Association of New Jersey) New Jersey-based breeder Greg Kilka knew the odds were not in his favor when he arrived at the 2020 Keeneland January Sale. A small-time owner and breeder with a modest budget, what chance did he have of coming home with a horse that could be life-changing? He was playing the lottery. "I didn't have unlimited resources," he said. What he did have was $14,000, what it cost to buy an unraced mare named Adorabella (Ghostzapper) in foal to Fast Anna...

LEXINGTON, KY-The Fasig-Tipton October Yearlings Sale produced its strongest session of the week Wednesday at Newtown Paddocks, bringing its cumulative figures within striking distance of its 2022 record levels. Through three sessions, 790 yearlings have grossed $38,981,000 for an average of $49,343 and a median of $23,500. The average is down just 4.5% from the same point of last year's sale and the median is down 6%. "It was another solid day," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. "Today the numbers were up over the similar session last year and...