Passion for Gold, a 6-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro , has been retired to stud in Chile.
The 2009 highweight 2-year-old colt in France and group I winner is the seventh son of Medaglia d'Oro to stand at stud and the first to stand in South America. He has been sold to Dr. José Luis Gatica's Haras Puerta de Hierro in Melipilla, Chile.
Raced by Godolphin and trained by Saeed bin Suroor, Passion for Gold found success in his first start at 2 with a five-length victory at Thirsk in the E.B.F. Maiden Stakes. Moving up to stakes company in his second start he finished a solid third to St Nicholas Abbey in the group II Juddmonte Beresford Stakes at the Curragh. In his final juvenile start, the colt achieved group I winner status when he took the Criterium de Saint-Cloud under Frankie Dettori.
After some time off to recover from a back injury, he returned to the track in 2011 and secured a win at Goodwood in the Southern Daily Echo Tapster Stakes. In all, Passion for Gold won three of seven starts and earned $268,125.
Passion for Gold is out of the grade I-placed and grade II Nassau County Handicap winner, C'Est L'Amour by Thunder Gulch. Purchased at the Keeneland September sale as a yearling for $125,000 by Yeomanstown Stud, he was later resold at the Tattersalls Craven breeze-up sale for $407,180 to Dick O'Gorman.
At Haras Puerta de Hierro, Passion for Gold will stand alongside Neko Bay, Mash One, Kappa King, and Pavarotti. The sale was brokered by Chad Schumer of Schumer Bloodstock Agency.