Medaglia d'Oro fee at $200,000 for 2019

Medaglia d'Oro, in the midst of a career run on the racetrack and in the commercial arena, will stand for $200,000 to lead Darley's American roster in 2019.

Medaglia d'Oro, by El Prado, sired seven Grade 1 winners in North America last year - including Breeders' Cup winners Bar of Gold and Talismanic - putting him in an elite club with Danzig, Mr. Prospector, and Storm Cat as the only American stallions to have as many in a single year.

Off that, he is the sire of eight seven-figure sale yearlings this year. The only other American stallions to sire more in a single year are Northern Dancer and Storm Cat. He also sired the sale-topping juveniles at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream, Fasig-Tipton Midlantic, and Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s spring 2-year-olds in training sales. Medaglia d'Oro's top performers this year in the U.S. include graded stakes winners Bolt d'Oro, Elate, Enticed, and Lady Montdore.

Medaglia d'Oro stood for $250,000 in 2018. His fee cut leaves War Front, who will stand for $250,000 at Claiborne Farm, as the most expensive stallion in North America for 2019. Tapit, who stood for $300,000 at Gainesway from 2015 to 2018, will have his fee cut to $225,000 for 2019.

“How can you not be impressed with Medaglia d’Oro?" Darren Fox, sales manager for Darley America, said in a release. "Whether it’s on the track or in the sales ring, he’s simply delivering on all fronts."

Street Sense, the sire of Breeders' Cup Classic candidate McKinzie, Frosted, whose first foals are weanlings, and the consistent Bernardini will all stand for $50,000 in 2019. Nyquist, also a first-crop weanling sire, will stand for $40,000.

The Darley America roster is rounded out by Hard Spun at $40,000, Street Boss at $20,000, Animal Kingdom and Astern at $15,000, and Midshipman at $8,500. Alpha will stand for Darley at Sequel Stallions in New York for a fee of $5,000.

"As far as our young stallions go, we are extremely impressed with the first foals by Frosted and Nyquist," Fox said. "From what we’ve seen, the quality runs very deep and we are eagerly awaiting their weanlings going through the sales ring in a couple of weeks."