Darley Purchases Hot Sire Medaglia d'Oro

Medaglia d'Oro , the leading second-crop sire and one of the hottest sires in North America right now, has been purchased by Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley operation and has been relocated to Darley's farm near Lexington, it was announced June 5.

John Ferguson, Sheikh Mohammed’s bloodstock advisor said: “Sheikh Mohammed has been following Medaglia d’Oro’s stud career with great interest and has been most impressed not only by the likes of Rachel Alexandra and many other exciting prospects in his first crop which are now 3-year-olds, but also by the quality of yearlings that we have seen at public auction. We purchased the sale-topping Medaglia d’Oro half-brother to Midas Eyes for $1.6 million at Calder this year. He has been renamed Al Zir, and he is going well. Sheikh Mohammed believes that Medaglia d’Oro has a very exciting future ahead of him.”

Medaglia d’Oro was profiled in a feature article in the June 6 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Read the Medaglia d'Oro profile here.

The 10-year-old horse, who is the sire of classic winner Rachel Alexandra and six other stakes winners in his first crop to race, previously stood at Richard and Audrey Haisfield’s Stonewall Stallions near Midway, Ky. The Haisfields, who acquired Medaglia d’Oro for stud duty and stood him at John Sikura’s Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm during his first season, were majority owners of the stallion with minority ownership held by Richard Santulli and Barry Weisbord at the time of his purchase by Darley.

“There are other shareholders still in the horse, but the majority interest has been purchased,” said Darley chief operating officer Ollie Tait, who confirmed that Santulli and Weisbord have retained their 20% interest.

Santulli and Weisbord acquired the interest last August.

There also are known to be numerous breeding rights owned in the horse.

According to Tait, Medaglia d'Oro will cover in excess of 150 mares this year. He has a handful more to be bred.

"We felt we had to do right by him," said Richard Haisfield. "He has been so good to us, and this was the opportunity of a lifetime for him. Darley has the ability to make him an international sire."

A son of El Prado, out of the Bailjumper mare Cappucino Bay, Medaglia d'Oro was bred by Albert and Joyce Bell of Great Falls, Mont. They sold the colt to Edmund Gann after he broke his maiden in his second start.

A multiple grade I winner who earned $5,754,720, Medaglia d’Oro started the breeding season at $40,000 and now commands a $60,000 fee. The stallion has soared to the top of the stallion ranks as a result of the high profile accomplishments of Rachel Alexandra, the impressive winner of the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) before being sold for a reported $10-13 million. She subsequently defeated males, including Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner Mine That Bird, in the BlackBerry Preakness Stakes (gr. I) May 16.

Medaglia d'Oro is also ranked second on the leading sires list by North American earnings, a sizable feat for a horse with only 2- and 3-year-olds on the track.

Medaglia d’Oro is also the sire of Payton d'Oro, winner of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (gr. II) run at Pimlico the day before the Preakness; grade III winner C. S. Silk and added-money winners Retraceable, Gabby's Golden Gal, Renda, and She's Our Annie.

Gabby's Golden Gal is entered in the June 6 Acorn Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park.