Risk Taking, Moonlight d'Oro Show Early Promise

With just one stakes winner from 110 foals in his 12th crop—foals of 2017—conceived when he was 17-years-old, it may have appeared that Medaglia d'Oro was commencing the age related decline that we generally see with a stallion's output at a particularly precipitous rate. Happily, that appears not to be the case and a look at Medaglia d'Oro's 13th crop, which turned 3 just a few weeks ago, shows that it's already produced four stakes winners, two of which captured major classic trials the weekend of Feb. 6. Medaglia d'Oro, a foal of 1999, was the first grade 1 winner for his sire, El Prado, who climbed from a relatively modest beginning to take a leading sire crown. He had six stakes winners, three graded, from a crop of 72 foals in his 13th crop and from subsequent seasons would come up with such as Paddy O' Prado—who captured five black-type events, including the Secretariat Stakes (G1T), and ran third in the 2010 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1)—and his best daughter, the multiple grade 1-winning Winter Memories, who came from his 15th crop. El Prado's sire, Sadler's Wells—whom we would describe as unsurpassed as a sire were it not for the deeds of his son Galileo (IRE)—was responsible for a 13th crop that supplied 23 individual stakes winners, 12 group/graded, the second most prolific of his storied career in both of those categories. The star of that crop was none other than the dual Vodafone Epsom Derby (G1) and Budweiser Irish Derby (G1)-winning Galileo. However, that same crop also featured such as the Vodafone Epsom Oaks (G1) and Entenmanns Irish One Thousand Guineas (G1) captress Imagine; Milan successful in the Rothmans Royals St. Leger (G1); and Canadian champion turf horse Perfect Soul (IRE). Whether Medaglia d'Oro has a classic winner in his 13th crop remains to be seen, but his classic trial winners certainly shaped with considerable promise for the future and both appear unlikely to have problems with a classic distance. In the Withers Stakes (G3), Risk Taking was making his first start since winning a nine-furlong maiden special weight at Aqueduct Racetrack on Dec. 13. Wearing the blinkers he first sported in in that race, his third, Risk Taking sat back in the early stages in the Withers, and after a four-wide move took command late before powering clear to score by 3 3/4 lengths. Risk Taking is the first winner from three foals of racing age for his dam, the listed-placed Distorted Humor mare Run a Risk. She is half sister to a trio who earned black-type victories on the lawn: Rey de Cafe, whose successes included the Crown Royal American Turf Stakes (G3T) and Hill Prince Stakes (G3T), El Crespo, winner of the Palm Beach Stakes (G3T), and the Awad Stakes winner Tricky Causeway. Risk Taking's second dam, Commodities—a winning daughter of Private Account—is a half sister to another turf standout in King Cugat, who won four graded events on that surface and took seconds in the Turf Classic Invitational Stakes (G1T) and Sword Dancer Invitational Handicap (G1T). Commodities is also a half sister to the Ogygian mare Trophy Point, granddam of Japanese graded winners Strong Garuda and Not Formal. Commodities' dam, Tricky Game (by Majestic Light), is a full sister to the Jamaica Handicap (G3) victor Stacked Pack. She's also a half sister to two more accomplished runners in Fast Play, winner of the Remsen Stakes (G1) and Breeders' Futurity (G2), and Seeking the Gold, whose successes included the Super Derby (G1) and Dwyer Stakes (G1) and who became a major sire and broodmare sire. The female line is an extremely successful one from the Phipps that was acquired with the purchase of Flitabout as a yearling in the dispersal of Col. E. R. Bradley's Idle Hour Stock Farm in 1946. Bradley had imported Flitabout's granddam, La Mome, from England. Flitabout's dam, Bird Flower—winner of the Adirondack and Albany Handicaps—was her best offspring. Flitabout was a talented performer in her own right, running second in the Coaching Club American Oaks. Her stakes-winning daughter, Broadway, produced Risk Taking's fourth dam, Con Game, as well as Queen of the Stage, champion 2-year-old filly of 1967, and that one's brother, Reviewer, sire of the immortal Ruffian. Risk Taking is one of eight stakes winners from 44 starters for Medaglia d'Oro out of Distorted Humor mares. The others include the grade 1-winning fillies Elate and New Money Honey, and current Hong Kong superstar, Golden Sixty (AUS). Interestingly enough, Risk Taking is inbred 4x4 to Damascus while his granddam is inbred 3x3 to Buckpasser, who was—along with Dr. Fager—vanquished by Damascus in the 1967 Woodward Stakes, and whose granddam, Businesslike, was another Phipps acquisition from the Idle Hour dispersal. On the West Coast, the Las Virgenes Stakes (G3) went to Moonlight d'Oro, whose career to date has run a remarkable parallel course to that of Risk Taking. She, too, broke her maiden on her third start, which came on Dec. 13 as well, and like Risk Taking was making her first start since. She settled at the back, as had Risk Taking, and made a four-wide move to assume command going on to score by 1 1/2 lengths over the Santa Ynez Stakes (G2) victress Kalypso. Moonlight d'Oro is another credit to the sky-rocketing career of Bernardini as a broodmare sire. Her dam, the minor winner Venetian Sonata, has previously produced the Adirondack Stakes (G2) third, Olive Branch. She is a sister to the Bernardini duo of Wilburn, winner of the Indiana Derby (G2), and La Appassionata, a stakes winner who was graded placed at 2 and who is a half sister to the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) scorer Beethoven. Her dam, Moonlight Sonata, a typically precocious daughter of Carson City, won the Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes (G3) and is a half sister to an even better juvenile in the Futurity Stakes (G1) and Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) captor, Bevo. She is also a half sister to Vargas Girl, dam of Abel Tasman, who was named champion 3-year-old filly of 2017. Moonlight d'Oro races in the colors of MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm, and appropriately enough, she goes back to the Sweep mare Misleading, who was bred by Spendthrift Farm founder, Leslie Combs II. She has been ancestress of a string of good horses, among them the Travers Stakes-winning Thinking Cap, co-champion 2-year-old filly Candy Eclair, Beldale Flutter, who took the Benson & Hedges Gold Cup (G1) in England, and Japan Cup (G1) scorer Suave Richard, to name just a few. An outcross at five generations, Moonlight d'Oro is the second stakes winner from 10 starters by Medaglia d'Oro out of mares by Bernardini. He's also sired Kentucky Oaks (G1) captress Plum Pretty, and other grade 1 winners Bolt d'Oro and Dickinson, out of mares by Bernardini's sire, A.P. Indy.