Medaglia d'Oro
Encyclopedia
Medaglia d'Oro is an American Thoroughbred
racehorse
. Bred by Albert & Joyce Bell, a translation of his Italian
name means "Gold Medal." He was sired by Ireland's
1991 Champion 2-Year-Old, El Prado
, who was a son of the fourteen-time Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland
, Sadler's Wells
who in turn was a son of the 20th Century's most influential sire and sire of sires, Northern Dancer
. Medaglia d'Oro's damsire Bailjumper was a son of U.S. Hall of Fame
inductee, Damascus
.
Sold to Edmund Gann after his winning three year old debut under trainer David Vance, then transferred to trainer Robert Frankel, Medaglia d'Oro finished second in his only race as a two-year-old in 2001.
in California
. In the first of the Triple Crown races, the 1¼ mile Kentucky Derby
, Medaglia d'Oro was ridden by Laffit Pincay, Jr.
to a fourth place finish. In the ensuing 1³/16 mile Preakness Stakes
, he ran eighth under Jerry Bailey then with Kent Desormeaux
as his jockey, Medaglia d'Oro finished second in the longest of the series, the 1½ mile Belmont Stakes
. From there, Medaglia d'Oro went on to win the Grade II Jim Dandy Stakes
, the Grade I Travers Stakes
at Saratoga Race Course
and earned a second in the Woodward Stakes
in New York
. Under jockey Jerry Bailey, Medaglia d'Oro ran second to Volponi
in the 2002 Breeders' Cup Classic
In 2003, Medaglia d'Oro was first or second in all five starts. Of his three wins, he won the Grade I Whitney Handicap
and ran second to Pleasantly Perfect
in the 2003 Breeders' Cup Classic. Sent back to the track in 2004, the five-year-old Medaglia d'Oro raced twice. He won January's Grade I Donn Handicap
at Gulfstream Park
in Florida
then at the end of March, in what would be his last race, he finished second to Pleasantly Perfect in the Dubai World Cup
at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse
in the United Arab Emirates
.
In May 2004, Medaglia d'Oro was sold to Audrey Haisfield who retired him to stud
duty beginning with the 2005 season. He stands at Darley Stud
for a 2010 fee of $100,000 live foal. From his first crop born in 2006, he produced stakes winners, the most notable of which is the brilliant filly, Rachel Alexandra
.
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
. Bred by Albert & Joyce Bell, a translation of his Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
name means "Gold Medal." He was sired by Ireland's
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
1991 Champion 2-Year-Old, El Prado
El Prado (horse)
El Prado was a retired Thoroughbred racehorse and Champion sire. He was sired by Sadler's Wells, who was a fourteen-time Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland. Out of the mare, Lady Capulet, his damsire was Sir Ivor whose wins included the 1968 Epsom Derby, 2,000 Guineas Stakes, and Washington,...
, who was a son of the fourteen-time Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland
Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland
The list below shows the leading sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland for each year since 1751. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the season.----- References :* -See also:...
, Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells (horse)
Sadler's Wells was a Thoroughbred racehorse that was later a leading sire in France, Great Britain & Ireland and North America during the 1990s. He was foaled in 1981 in the United States, but achieved most of his racing and breeding fame in Europe....
who in turn was a son of the 20th Century's most influential sire and sire of sires, Northern Dancer
Northern Dancer
Northern Dancer was a Canadian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and the most successful sire of the 20th Century. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association calls him "one of the most influential sires in Thoroughbred history"....
. Medaglia d'Oro's damsire Bailjumper was a son of U.S. Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
inductee, Damascus
Damascus (horse)
Damascus was a thoroughbred race horse sired by Sword Dancer out of Kerala foaled at the Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Kentucky...
.
Sold to Edmund Gann after his winning three year old debut under trainer David Vance, then transferred to trainer Robert Frankel, Medaglia d'Oro finished second in his only race as a two-year-old in 2001.
2002 Triple Crown
Leading up to the 2002 U.S. Triple Crown series, Medaglia d'Oro won the San Felipe StakesSan Felipe Stakes
The San Felipe Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The San Felipe is a Grade II event open to three-year-old horses. Normally held in mid-March, it is raced at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on dirt and currently...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In the first of the Triple Crown races, the 1¼ mile Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
, Medaglia d'Oro was ridden by Laffit Pincay, Jr.
Laffit Pincay, Jr.
Laffit Alejandro Pincay, Jr. is a flat racing's all-time winningest jockey. He competed primarily in the United States.-Career:...
to a fourth place finish. In the ensuing 1³/16 mile Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
, he ran eighth under Jerry Bailey then with Kent Desormeaux
Kent Desormeaux
Kent Jason Desormeaux is an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who holds the U.S. record for most races won in a single year, 1989.-Brief biography:...
as his jockey, Medaglia d'Oro finished second in the longest of the series, the 1½ mile Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
. From there, Medaglia d'Oro went on to win the Grade II Jim Dandy Stakes
Jim Dandy Stakes
The Jim Dandy Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race. The Grade II race has been held annually since 1964 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is open to horses age three, willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt. It carries a purse of $500,000. Prior...
, the Grade I Travers Stakes
Travers Stakes
The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.First held in 1864, it was named for William R. Travers, the president of the old Saratoga Racing Association. His horse, Kentucky, won the first running of the Travers...
at Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
and earned a second in the Woodward Stakes
Woodward Stakes
The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. Named for prominent racehorse owner, George Nicholas Woodward, it is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt for a purse of $750,000.The Woodward was run as a handicap in...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Under jockey Jerry Bailey, Medaglia d'Oro ran second to Volponi
Volponi
Volponi is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by trainer Philip G. Johnson's family operation, Amherst Stable, he was sired by Florida Derby winner Cryptoclearance...
in the 2002 Breeders' Cup Classic
Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 year olds and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships...
In 2003, Medaglia d'Oro was first or second in all five starts. Of his three wins, he won the Grade I Whitney Handicap
Whitney Handicap
The Whitney Handicap is an American Grade 1 handicap race for Thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and older run at a distance of 1⅛ miles. In 2007, the Breeders' Cup Ltd...
and ran second to Pleasantly Perfect
Pleasantly Perfect
Pleasantly Perfect is a Thoroughbred racehorse who retired as the fourth richest American horse in career earnings. A son of Pleasant Colony, winner of the 1981 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, he was out of the mare Regal State who won the 1985 Group One Prix Morny in France. His damsire was...
in the 2003 Breeders' Cup Classic. Sent back to the track in 2004, the five-year-old Medaglia d'Oro raced twice. He won January's Grade I Donn Handicap
Donn Handicap
The Donn Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late January/early February at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida.The race is named after the Donn family, who for many years owned and operated the racetrack....
at Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino is a racetrack and county-approved racino in Hallandale Beach, Florida, in the United States. During its annual meet, which spans December through April, it is one of the most important venues for horse racing in America....
in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
then at the end of March, in what would be his last race, he finished second to Pleasantly Perfect in the Dubai World Cup
Dubai World Cup
The Dubai World Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and from 2010 at the Meydan Racecourse in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates...
at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse
Nad Al Sheba Racecourse
Nad Al Sheba Racecourse is a former Thoroughbred horse racing facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates opened in 1986. It has a 2,200 metre left-handed dirt race track and a left-handed turf course of the same distance...
in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
.
In May 2004, Medaglia d'Oro was sold to Audrey Haisfield who retired him to stud
Stud (animal)
A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...
duty beginning with the 2005 season. He stands at Darley Stud
Darley Stud
Darley Stud is a Thoroughbred breeding operation owned by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates. Darley breeds horses in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Dubai, Japan and Australia....
for a 2010 fee of $100,000 live foal. From his first crop born in 2006, he produced stakes winners, the most notable of which is the brilliant filly, Rachel Alexandra
Rachel Alexandra
Rachel Alexandra is a retired American Thoroughbred filly racehorse and the 2009 Horse of the Year. She is renowned as the May 16, 2009 Preakness Stakes winner, the second jewel of the Triple Crown, the first filly to win the race in 85 years history...
.