One of the more compelling stories from Belmont weekend that is perhaps lost to a degree amidst the discussion surrounding the upset victory of the infamous “Other Bird” in Belmont 141 is the continued dominance of 3-year-old daughters of Medaglia d’Oro. A $5,754,720 lifetime earner and 10-year-old son of El Prado, Medaglia d’Oro was recently sold by Stonewall Farm Stallions to Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley operation, and is considered one of the hottest sires on the planet.
Consider that in the just the past month we’ve had Payton d’Oro win the Black Eyed Susan (G2), Rachel Alexandra become the first filly champion of the Preakness since Nellie Morse in 1924, and now Gabby’s Golden Gal prevails in the Grade 1 Acorn over Justwhistledixie. Ironically, ‘Dixie had entered the race thought by many (including me) to be the only semblance of “competition” to Rachel Alexandra in the entire division. That might still be true at longer distances, but on a track that seemed to be favoring speed throughout the day (with the exception of Summer Bird’s victory in the Belmont), and at the condensed one mile distance, Gabby’s Golden Gal looked much the best.
And all this from just his first crop of 3-year-old fillies! Are you kidding me? This is starting to border on ridiculousness. Toss in C.S. Silk, Renda, and She’s our Annie, and the feathers in the hat just keep accumulating as these runners keep matriculatin’ down the track. One thing is for certain, if you haven’t already done so, make sure you are taking note of any Medaglia d’Oro fillies that show up in 3-year-old races. There must be extra fluoride or something in the water over there at Stonewall Farms as these offspring have been turning up strong!
Ah yes…fluoridization, just like in Dr. Strangelove, one of my favorite films of all time. That must be the reason! I knew the commies had tapped into our water supply, but I had no idea they had plans of affecting our race horses! We can no longer sit back and allow this impurification of precious bodily fluids to continue! 
“Mandrake, do you know when it was that I first became aware of fluoridization in the precious bodily fluids of Medaglia D’Oro offspring??? “
On a personal note this only increases my already eager anticipation for the eventual pairing of Curlin and Rachel Alexandra. It’s like all the stars in the world are aligning for them.
Speaking of Curlin, I’m headed down to Lane’s End at the end of July to check in on him. Lane’s End actually just released an updated video of the big fella set to some…well…I’ll be honest, it’s quite possibly the cheesiest musak I’ve ever heard in my entire life. You might want to turn the volume down and just take him in visually. Trust me on this. You’ll be glad you did so.
Looks like our boy is doing well. He looks absolutely gigantic in those shots, so they must be feeding him well.
By the way, I believe that’s John Tesh on keyboard in case anyone is curious, which only further cements the “aligning stars” angle for both Curlin and Rachel.
Watch for Tasty Temptation–another Medaglia D’oro filly–in today’s Woodbine Oaks!
Val,
Thanks for the WO tip…this is a competitve race. Is 7-2 fair value on her?
Kevin,
As for sires, is BIRDSTONE in the conversation w/ MEDAGLIA D’ORO? He’s not as sexy with a $10k stud fee but he did sire two of the three Triple Crown race winners this year. He’s sure to get some higher quality mares in his book the next few years. After all, he was a G.1 winner at 2 and was one of the early Kentucky Derby favorites.
Thanks for the tip, Val!
Amateurcapper – Birdstone is DEFINITELY in the picture. I was actually assuming that there would be such a buzz about him as sire of the year now for having produced separate Kentucky Derby and Belmont champions, not to mention whatever else they earn along the way to the Eclipse Awards.
Two exciting sires that are producing very intriguing horses that seem to peak at the right time as 3-year-olds.
It’d be pretty neat to see all three daughters of Medaglia d’Oro as finalists for three year old filly (Rachel Alexandra, Paton D’Oro and Gabby).
Loved seeing something new on Curlin, he still looks ready to step right out on that track and kick some butt. Maybe a little more plump, but still very muscled. I’m going to visit him in late August, can’t wait!!
Well, Tasty Temptation got second at 3-1 (paid $4.20, $3.30) after being left at the gate, and spotting the field 5 lengths; winner Milwaukee Appeal ($11.20, $5.30, $4.00) finished just ticks off the 9f track record set by Palladio last October, so very impressive!
2nd is still pretty darn good! Can’t win ‘em all. I took TT across the board for a small amount, and wound up winning a few bucks.
I’m surprised that my inclusion of a John Tesh photo has to this point received no mention. I thought for sure Mr. Tesh would be hit for the ladies out there.
Oh yes, one additional note. Somehwere lost in all the hubbub the other day….wasn’t it Gabby’s Golden Gal that was having such trouble cooling down after the race?
I’ve always liked Medaglia D’Oro (also a big fan of El Prado, his sire), and am really happy to see how well his first crop have turned out, especially the fillies.
I had money on Gabby’s Golden Girl and Summer Bird on saturday, btw…not due to my handicapping abilities (or lack thereof), but more by “gut” and who their sires are…that plus I figured this year Desormeaux would “redeem” himself.
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[...] Gal and Justwhistledixie, two very well regarded fillies who would likely crush this field, in the Grade 1 Acorn on Belmont Stakes day. In other words it would not be a surprise to see her in the winner’s [...]
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