Medaglia d'Oro: Sire of the moment. Sire of the future.

As yearlings from Medaglia d'Oro’s 2011 crop prepare to sell at the nation’s select sales – a group of yearlings we should remind you that was produced from what has been called the best book ever for a any stallion – it seems an appropriate time to put into perspective the accomplishments of this phenomenal racehorse as well as a young sire of the moment and of the future.

Although he last raced in 2004, who can forget such memorial victories like the Travers, Whitney and Donn Handicap, all G1 events. In fact, Medagalia d’Oro is the only horse to have won the Travers, Jim Dandy and then return to win the Whitney as a four-year-old. All in all, a total of 13 stakes performances, eight in G1 company, with earnings that surpassed $5.75 million.

At the time he entered stud, Medaglia d’Oro’s sire, El Prado, was too young to have been either proven or disproven as a sire of sires, so Medaglia d’Oro had to once again prove himself, except this time is was in the breeding shed. Well, it didn’t take long for those early breeders to receive a payoff as his first crop started running early and with much success.

Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra carried the banner early for that 2006 crop when, in June of 2008, she broke her maiden at Churchill Downs and then took the G2 Golden Rod in the fall, the first of nine career Graded victories. A total of 15 other sons and daughters from that first crop went on to win added-money events, including other G1 winners C. S. Silk, Warrior’s Reward and Gabby’s Golden Gal. That total of 16 stakes winners in his first crop is unsurpassed by any other stallion’s first crop in North American Thoroughbred history:

Medaglia d’Oro – 16
Johannessburg – 15
Giant’s Causeway – 14
Speightstown – 14
Tapit – 14

If you look at the total number of stakes horses for any stallion’s first crop, Medaglia d’Oro is the leader once again but in terms of worldwide sires:

Medaglia d’Oro – 27
Johannesburg – 26
Galileo – 25
Dubawi – 23
three others – 23

Furthermore, a look at the 2006, 2007 and 2008 crops of all stallions, Medaglia d’Oro is represented by more G1 performers than any other sire. And although he gets G1 winners on all surfaces, he reigns supreme as the leading dirt stallion with seven G1 dirt performers during from 2006-2008 as well.

As the success of Medaglia d’Oro’s progeny reached new heights on the track, so did the quality of mares being sent to him. By 2010, he received his greatest reward by having arguably the best-ever book of mares sent to him of any stallion in history.

A total of 43 were G1-winning mares while another 20 were the dams of G1 winners. The names of these dams or their foals reads like a who’s who of Thoroughbred racing:  Bernardini, Rachel Alexandra, Saint Liam, Tapit, Manistique, Proud Spell, Wait A While and Beautiful Pleasure to name a few.

The Blood-Horse MarketWatch newsletter assessed, specifically, the 2010 books of all North American stallions and Medaglia d’Oro came out on top as the leader by Class Performance Index of those mares:

Medaglia d’Oro – 13.00

Street Cry – 10.95

Distorted Humor – 10.48

Smart Strike – 8.73

Pulpit – 7.69

Expectations are high for 11 standout yearlings catalogued for the 2012 Saratoga Yearling Sale given the quality of this book. Buyers got a bit of a taste of things to come when a 2011 weanling filly from this crop set a record at Keeneland in November selling for $2.6 million. That brought to nine the total number of sales toppers or session toppers at the major sales since 2007, more than any other sire during that time.

A total of total of six colts and five fillies are set to enter the ring next month, including a bay colt that is out of a half-sister to the dam of Rachel Alexandra. Two fillies to watch out for are the second foals out of G1 winner and millionaires Society Selection and Wait A While. And if you look at the other eight being offered, you’ll see why this group will set the bar pretty high for the rest.

Comments by John Ferguson provide a befitting overview of Medagalia d’Oro’s physical attributes and his growing influence in the sire ranks: “Bobby Frankel used to drag friends into his barn to admire Medaglia d’Oro: ‘A specimen!’ he called him, and that’s exactly what he is, an outstanding individual and arguably the best-looking horse standing in Kentucky.