A Look Back at Medaglia d'Oro's Belmont, Racing Career

With Spirit of St Louis looking for his third grade 1 win on turf this season in the June 7 Manhattan Stakes (G1T) and undefeated Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Good Cheer in the June 6 Acorn Stakes (G1), there's plenty of attention on their sire, Medaglia d'Oro, at this year's Belmont Stakes weekend at Saratoga Race Course. At age 26 Medaglia d'Oro is going strong as a sire at Darley near Lexington, where he stands for $75,000. On the track some 20 years ago, Medaglia d'Oro won multiple grade 1 races under the guidance of trainer Bobby Frankel. He enjoyed wins in the 2002 Travers Stakes, 2003 Whitney Handicap, and 2004 Donn Handicap (all G1) but even with those big scores, there's a bit of wondering what could have been. That's because he also finished second in a number of top races—including some runner-up finishes in which his party was spoiled by some long-odds runners. One of those efforts occurred in the 2002 Belmont Stakes (G1). Racing for Edmund Gann, Medaglia d'Oro took command at the quarter pole of the 1 1/2-mile test only to have 70-1 shot Sarava split horses moving into the stretch. The two dueled in upper stretch before Sarava finally prevailed by a half-length at the wire. Among the other memorable runner-up finishes that would follow for Medaglia d'Oro? He finished second in both the 2002 and 2003 editions of the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) as well as a runner-up finish in the final start of his career in the 2004 Dubai World Cup (G1). Favored at 5-2 in the 2002 Breeders' Cup at Arlington International Racecourse, Medaglia d'Oro defeated the field's most-fancied runners only to see Volponi register a shocking 6 1/2-length victory at odds of 43-1. Again favored at 5-2 in the Breeders' Cup Classic the following year at Santa Anita Park, Medaglia d'Oro would prevail in an early duel with Congaree only to see Pleasantly Perfect, at 14-1, give trainer Richard Mandella his fourth Breeders' Cup win on the day. Those two runners would duel in the stretch of the 2004 Dubai World Cup before Pleasantly Perfect prevailed by three-quarters of a length. At stud, Medaglia d'Oro has twice finished among North America's leading sires and is enjoying another standout season in 2025. He ranks seventh on the general sires list and he's tied with Into Mischief and Curlin for the most grade 1 winners this year at two.