In the first three months of 2019 in Australia and New Zealand, Medaglia d’Oro has sired an astonishing 42 winners of 52 races, five of them at Stakes level including one at G1 level.
Ironically, Medaglia d’Oro was probably fortunate to have sired even one foal.
His original owners Al and Joyce Bell gelded every colt they bred, but it is said they were so taken by their son of El Prado that they left him intact.
Medaglia d’Oro rewarded them by winning a maiden that led to his sale for US$500,000, and he’s gone on rewarding a succession of owners and breeders ever since.
Medaglia d’Oro won eight races, the best of them the G1 Donn Handicap at Gulfsteam Park.
On his retirement to stud in 2005, he immediately produced some of his best work, his first crop including the champion American mare Rachel Alexandra and the G1 winner’s C S Silk and Gabby’s Golden Gal.
He has since sired a further 16 American G1 winners, his 2017 record of seven G1 winners for the year being a feat matched only by Mr Prospector.
Medaglia d’Oro’s first Australian G1 winner was the 2015 Golden Slipper champion Vancouver. Astern closely followed with a win in the 2015 G1 Golden Rose and who stood alongside his sire in his final Australian season at Kelvinside in New South Wales and recently Crown Prosecutor saluted in the G1 New Zealand Derby.
In March alone fillies by Medaglia d’Oro dominated at Group level including Tenley who posted a convincing 1.5 length victory in the G2 Reisling Stakes on Saturday, 9 March at Randwick.
Six days later Pohutukawa recorded a 1.3 length win in the G3 Kembla Grange Classic and less than 24 hours later Flit dead-heated in the G3 VRC Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes.
