Medaglia d'Oro pensioned from stud duties

Stalwart sire Medaglia d’Oro has been pensioned, Darley revealed in announcing its stallion roster for the upcoming season. The 26-year-old son of El Prado will retire at the Lexington, Ky., farm.

Medaglia d’Oro won three Grade 1 races, placed in another six, and earned more than $5.7 million. He is the sire of 104 graded/group stakes winners worldwide. Those include a record three winners of the Kentucky Oaks – Rachel Alexandra (2009), Plum Pretty (2011), and Good Cheer this year.

Rachel Alexandra went on to defeat males in three Grade 1 races and earn Horse of the Year honors. She is one of a pair of Eclipse Award champions by Medaglia d’Oro, along with fellow Hall of Fame inductee Songbird.

Medaglia d'Oro is the sire of eight champions worldwide, including his top earner Golden Sixty, a three-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year, who earned more than $21.2 million in U.S. funds. He is also the sire of Australian champion Vancouver, Canadian Horse of the Year Wonder Gadot, additional Canadian champions Nitrogen and Souper Escape, and Mexican champion Medaglia d’Orizaba.

Medaglia d’Oro’s legacy will continue with several crops on the track. He is the sire of five graded stakes winners this year, led by Good Cheer and fellow Grade 1 winners Nitrogen and Spirit of St Louis. According to The Jockey Club’s Report of Mares Bred, the stallion covered 56 mares this year for what will be his final crop.

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