Medaglia d'Oro | Horse Racing Free Tips

Medaglia d’Oro Colt Gets Out in Time to Take Kitten’s Joy

Whisper Hill Farm homebred Grand Sonata (Medaglia d'Oro) got out of a jackpot just in time Saturday to come out on top of Gulfstream's GIII Kitten's Joy S. exacta for the en fuego Todd Pletcher barn. Royal Spirit (Into Mischief) was second best, while favored Coinage (Tapit)–making his first start since finishing ninth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf–settled for third after showing the way.

Second in his Belmont unveiling to next-out GIII Futurity S. winner Slipstream (More Than Ready) in October, Grand Sonata donned cap and gown around two turns in a Keeneland off-the-turfer Oct. 16. He was a close-up fifth with some trouble in the Big A's Central Park S. Nov. 27, and showed good determination to take the Dania Beach S. by a head here on New Year's Day.

Off at nearly double his 3-1 morning line quote as Coinage took significantly more action that predicted, Grand Sonata broke well from the rail and settled into a good pocket spot behind Coinage and inside of Royal Spirit. Grand Sonata clearly had run after six panels in 1:11.88, but Tyler Gaffalione had to sit patiently and wait for daylight. Boxed in by Speaking Scout (Mr Speaker) when he tried to tip out, Grand Sonata had to hit the brakes, but once Speaking Scout could no longer keep pace, he was free to lengthen his stride and he quickened resolutely to get up by a neck.

“I thought he was a little bit overlooked today,” Pletcher, who saddled the one-two finishers in last Saturday's GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Turf S., said of the winner. “All his turf races have been good. He had a really tough trip at Aqueduct and didn't get the win, but he's a really nice colt; very professional.”

Pletcher continued, “We were concerned there wasn't much pace on paper and Coinage can be tough when he gets loose, so we wanted to be aware of that. The fractions were pretty modest. I thought both horses were in good spots and both finished up well. Actually, I thought Royal Spirit might have had it for a second, but this horse has a big turn of foot and Tyler knows that. Once he got him in the clear they finished in a rush.”

Gaffalione said, “I had a ton of horse. I had to be patient to wait for a spot. A little crack opened and he hesitated just a little bit, but I had so much horse, he wound up getting through and finished the job nicely. Mr. Pletcher and I spoke before the race. He said he didn't see much speed in the race and to just follow [Coinage] around there and wait for a spot. When he got out, he really finished well.”
Saturday, Gulfstream Park
KITTEN'S JOY S.-GIII, $100,000, Gulfstream, 2-5, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 1:41.53, fm.
1–GRAND SONATA, 123, c, 3, by Medaglia d'Oro
                1st Dam: A. P. Sonata, by A.P. Indy
                2nd Dam: Moonlight Sonata, by Carson City
                3rd Dam: Wheatly Way, by Wheatly Hall
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($125,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP).
O/B-Whisper Hill Farm, LLC; T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Tyler
Gaffalione. $60,140. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, $193,920. Werk
   Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Royal Spirit, 118, c, 3, Into Mischief–Don'tforgetaboutme, by
Malibu Moon. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($450,000 Ylg '20
FTKSEL). O-Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable; B-Claiborne Farm
(KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $19,400.
3–Coinage, 123, c, 3, Tapit–Bar of Gold, by Medaglia d'Oro.
($450,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-D. J. Stable LLC, Broman, Sr.,
Chester and Broman, Mary; B-Chester Broman & Mary R.
Broman (NY); T-Mark E. Casse. $9,700.
Margins: NK, 1 1/4, HF. Odds: 5.80, 5.20, 1.80.
Also Ran: Eldon's Prince, Red Danger, Speaking Scout, Father Glado, Red Knobs. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
Pedigree Notes:
Grand Sonata is the 86th graded winner by Darley stalwart Medaglia d'Oro–seven of which are out of A.P. Indy mares, including GISWs Plum Pretty and Bolt d'Oro. A.P. Indy is the broodmare sire of an incredible 116 graded/group winners overall.

Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill paid $1.1 million for dam A. P. Sonata, a daughter of GSW Moonlight Sonata and half to Grade II winners Wilburn (Bernardini) and Beethoven (Sky Mesa) as a KEESEP yearling. The late-debuting filly's best finish was a third-place finish going nine furlongs on the Keeneland dirt.

Grand Sonata's full-sister of 2017 died in 2019, as did A. P. Sonata.

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Mating Plans: Stoneriggs Farm

With the 2022 breeding season right around the corner, we will feature a series of breeders' mating plans over the coming weeks. Today we have Robert Slack of Stoneriggs Farm near Paris, Kentucky.

BAJAN GIRL (m, 5, Speightstown–Dazzling {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}), to be bred to Curlin

We purchased this mare out of a 2-year-old sale in Ocala, and raced her. She was multiple graded stakes placed before we retired her to Stoneriggs. She is by Speightstown, one of my very favorite sires, and out of Dazzling, who herself was a $1-million yearling, and will be bred to Curlin for her first foal.

CHART (m, 5, Lea–Gauge, by War Front), to be bred to Medaglia d'Oro

Like almost all of our 60 broodmares, this mare is young, and we felt fortunate to purchase her in Keeneland November ($210,000), as she is a Grade III winner from an established Claiborne family. She will be bred to Medaglia d'Oro for her first foal.

PLATINUM PAYNTER (m, 6, Paynter–Platinum Preferred, by Vindication), to be bred to Maxfield

Another recent purchase that we are very happy with is this multiple graded stakes-placed filly. She will be visiting the very much in-demand Maxfield at Darley. She was an outstanding race mare, is an outstanding individual, and we eagerly await the foal from this mating.

I'M BETTY G (m, 8, Into Mischief–Lady in Ermine, by Honour and Glory), to be bred to City of Light

Although only eight years of age, this mare is one of our 'seniors' and is carrying a foal by Improbable and will be bred back to City of Light. Into Mischief is one of our favorite broodmare sires and the fact that 'Betty' is a stakes winner and multiple graded stakes placed, we have high hopes for her.

MONEY FROMHEAVEN (m, 6, Munnings–Smart Policy, by Smart Strike), to be bred to American Pharoah

Munnings is developing into a very important sire, both on dirt and turf, and we are excited to own this young stakes-winning filly who will be bred to American Pharoah. He's having a great year on both surfaces.

NEEDS SUPERVISION (m, 6, Paynter–Moroccan Rose, by Carson City), to be bred to Charlatan

This filly was also an excellent race mare, winning several stakes, and we are excited to be able to breed her to Charlatan, who we consider to be an outstanding first-year sire. We are breeding several mares to him and we consider him to be a very worthy heir to the legacy that his sire has earned.

Let us know who you're breeding your mares to in 2022, and why. We will print a selection of your responses in TDN over the coming weeks. Please send details to: garyking@thetdn.com.

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Mating Plans: Coteau Grove Farms

With the 2022 breeding season right around the corner, we will feature a series of breeders' mating plans over the coming weeks. Today we have Andrew Cary, bloodstock agent for Coteau Grove Farms.

MISS HOT LEGS (m, 6, Verrazano–Expo Gold, by Johannesburg), to be bred to Medaglia d'Oro

Miss Hot Legs is one of our top mares. She's a stakes-placed three-quarter sister to the superstar Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil). We purchased her for $500,000 as a broodmare prospect at Keeneland November 2020.

Miss Hot Legs herself was a very fast and talented racemare in her own right and is a stunning physical. She was stakes-placed at Santa Anita and was only beaten a few lengths in a Grade II against the likes of Jolie Olimpica (Brz) and Oleksandra (Aus).

She is currently in foal to Curlin for her first foal and we felt that Medaglia d'Oro offered great value at $100,000 given what he has achieved during his legendary career. We are giving Miss Hot Legs every shot to get her broodmare career off to a good start with those first two covering sires.

ELFIN QUEEN (m, 5, American Pharoah–Pretty 'n Smart, by Beau Genius), to be bred to Into Mischief

Elfin Queen was acquired at the Keeneland November sale last year for $550,000, in foal to Justify. It's special to be able to buy a well-bred daughter of a Triple Crown winner, in foal to a Triple Crown winner. She was a $1.2-million yearling herself and is a half-sister to Grade I winner and promising young sire Cupid (Tapit). She broke her maiden by 6 1/2 lengths in Ireland for Aidan O'Brien and competed in stakes after that. We are giving her every shot by breeding her to Into Mischief. With her exceptional looks and pedigree, we have high hopes for Elfin Queen as a foundation mare for Coteau Grove for the next decade.

GOTTAHAVEAHOLIDAY (m, 8, Harlan's Holiday–Gottahaveadream, by Indian Charlie), to be bred to Constitution

Gottahaveaholiday is a three-quarter sister to Grade I winner Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief), who recently sold for $2.85 million to Shadai Farm at Fasig-Tipton November. She herself was an expensive yearling and placed in maiden special weight company several times in New York. We acquired her for $240,000 as a broodmare prospect at Keeneland November 2020. She is a big, great-looking mare and is due any day for her first foal to Quality Road. We are huge fans of Constitution and feel that he is poised to become a perennial top-five sire in the years to come with what he has coming in the pipeline.

PLUS ONE (m, 13, Bluegrass Cat–License Free, by Miswaki), to be bred to Gun Runner

Plus One will always be a special mare to us, as she became our first Grade I producer when her son No Parole (Violence) won the GI Woody Stephens S. at Belmont Park in June of 2020. We acquired her for $67,000 at Keeneland November in 2014. Plus One is currently in foal to Tapit and we are obviously very excited to have her booked to the phenomenal Gun Runner. Gun Runner has already sired Echo Zulu (GI), Gunite (GI) and Pappacap (GII) from Storm Cat-line mares.

CONTRIBUTING (m, 8, Medaglia d'Oro–Taegu, by Halo), to be bred to Curlin

We acquired Contributing for $500,000 at Keeneland November 2020, in foal to Speightstown. She's a gorgeous mare who had a lot of speed, and her pedigree is phenomenal–the first dam fills the whole page. Her sister Classic Elegance (Carson City) was a Grade II winner and multiple stakes producer; she also has three other half-sisters that are stakes producers, including El Fasto (El Prado {Ire}), the dam of GI Kentucky Oaks winner Believe You Can (Proud Citizen).

Contributing has a yearling Speightstown colt we are very excited about and look forward to bringing him to the yearling sales this fall. She is currently in foal to Justify, who we expect to have great success with his early crops both here and around the world. We love the physical match with Curlin and it gives her another great chance at throwing a runner.

Let us know who you're breeding your mares to in 2022, and why. We will print a selection of your responses in TDN over the coming weeks. Please send details to: garyking@thetdn.com.

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Medaglia d’Oro Half to Clairiere Wins Silverbulletday

La Crete (Medaglia d'Oro–Cavorting, by Bernardini), a half-sister to one of last year's 3-year-old filly stars in Clairiere (Curlin), threw her own hat into the ring with a dogged win in the Silverbulletday S. at Fair Grounds as the current sophomore filly embers begin to flare on the road to the GI Kentucky Oaks. Bumping with Sweet as Pie (Tapit) at the break, La Crete made the lead with Fannie and Freddie (Malibu Moon) tracking in second. La Crete stayed in front through :24.50 and :48.79 fractions, but drifted out coming off the turn as Fannie and Freddie engaged her on the outside. The latter passed La Crete and La Crete briefly gave a convincing imitation of a beaten horse, but the bay would not be denied and fought back with dauntless grit. She won by a length over Fannie and Freddie, galloping out with ears pricked. The Silverbulletday marked the second 2022 points race on the Oaks road and was worth points of 10-4-2-1.

“She's a special horse,” said winning rider Joel Rosario, who was winning his third race on the card in tandem with trainer Steve Asmussen.

La Crete came into the Silverbulletday with only one start under her belt, an easy score in a Churchill Downs maiden special weight going 1 1/16 miles Nov. 20. She made the lead that day, too, opening up by five lengths in the stretch before being geared down in the final half-furlong.

Cavorting, the dam of both Clairiere and La Crete, was a seven-time black-type winner, including in the 2015 GI Test S., the 2016 GI Ogden Phipps S., and the 2016 GI Personal Ensign S. She raced for Stonestreet, who bought her as a $360,000 weanling at KEENOV in 2012. Clairiere, whose wins include last year's GI Cotillion S., is her first foal, with La Crete her second. Both race as Stonestreet homebreds. Cavorting was barren last year, but has a 2-year-old colt named Judge Miller, a full-brother to Clairiere, whom Stonestreet sold last year for $550,000 at KEESEP to Muir Hut Stables. Cavorting was bred to Into Mischief for this spring.

SILVERBULLETDAY S., $145,500, Fair Grounds, 1-22, 3yo, f, 1m 70y, 1:43.93, ft.
1–LA CRETE, 122, f, 3, by Medaglia d'Oro
               1st Dam: Cavorting (MGISW, $2,063,000), by Bernardini
               2nd Dam: Promenade Girl, by Carson City
               3rd Dam: Promenade Colony, by Pleasant Colony
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Stonestreet Stables LLC;
B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Steven M.
Asmussen; J-Joel Rosario. $90,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0,
$159,460. *1/2 to Clairiere (Curlin), GISW, $1,290,992.
2–Fannie and Freddie, 122, f, 3, Malibu Moon–Connie and
Michael, by Roman Ruler. ($150,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP).
O-Columbine Stable LLC.; B-Betz/J.Betz/Burns/Camaquiki
/C.Kidder/et al (KY); T-Albert M. Stall, Jr. $30,000.
3–Bernabreezy, 122, f, 3, Bernardini–Super Allison, by Super
Saver. ($25,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $40,000 2yo '21 FTFMAR;
$100,000 2yo '21 EASMAY). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Nelson
McMakin & Aaron Kennedy; B-Machmer Hall, Tamme Valley
Farm & Godolphin (KY); T-Matt A. Shirer. $15,000.
Margins: 1, 2HF, HD. Odds: 1.10, 3.40, 5.80.
Also Ran: Candy Raid, Miss Chamita, Sweet as Pie.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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