One of the peculiarities of breeding is that some stallions get a reputation for being a “filly sire” or a “colt sire,” and one of the best stallions currently active is frequently viewed as a near-legendary filly sire. This is Medaglia d’Oro, and there’s a good reason for the fame of his fillies.
Two of them are among the great champions of the breed: Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra and multiple Eclipse Award winner Songbird. Compared to them, the record for colts by Medaglia reads somewhat lighter, but not nearly as lightly as some expect.
Worldwide, the fillies by this highly important sire lead their colt compatriots in each black-type category, except for graded stakes winners. In that, they tie with 45 graded stakes winners of each sex.
So, even allowing for a moderate lead for the favored fillies, how can the perceptions of Medaglia d’Oro’s stud record be skewed more than the record shows?
The most likely culprit is that many, well most, of the sons of Medaglia d’Oro show up doing something other than racing for the Triple Crown. The colts who showed the greatest Triple Crown potential were Violence and Bolt d’Oro.
Violence was an unbeaten juvenile winner who scored his Grade 1 victory in the Hollywood Futurity; his only start at three was a second place in the Fountain of Youth Stakes behind eventual Kentucky Derby winner Orb (by Malibu Moon).
Bolt d’Oro won his first three starts, including the G1 Del Mar Futurity and FrontRunner Stakes, at two; the following season, he won the San Vicente, finished second to Justify in the G1 Santa Anita Derby, but then was a melting down 12th of 20 in the Kentucky Derby and 11th and last in the Metropolitan Handicap.
Aside from these two immensely talented colts, the sons of Medaglia d’Oro have spread their talents far and wide. Vancouver was a champion juvenile colt in Australia; Passion for Gold was the highweight juvenile colt of his year in France; Talismanic was a top-class racer at 12 furlongs around the world; and there are a stack of other G1 colts that any sire would be highly commended for. But none of them adds up to a Rachel Alexandra or Songbird.
Except … for Golden Sixty.
The 8-year-old gelding is probably the best-kept secret in the racing world. At least for American audiences. The dashing dark bay is stamped from the same color and type as Medaglia d’Oro’s best performers, and Golden Sixty has a following among racing fans on the Pacific Rim that has to be seen to be appreciated. He’s a legend.
And well he should be. Golden Sixty is one of the very best racers ever in Hong Kong. Yet, going into the Hong Kong Mile, Golden Sixty hadn’t raced since April and had drawn a disadvantageous wide post. With questions about his readiness and ease of placement, Golden Sixty nonetheless traveled well and well-covered up till the field came into the stretch. Then, like the cork from a bottle of champagne, Golden Sixty exploded away from the competition and won his race impressively. The crowd … went wild.
With his victory in the G1 Hong Kong Mile on Dec. 10, Golden Sixty has now won 10 G1 races and has earned the most money of any racer in Hong Kong history: HK$165 million (slightly more than $21 million in domestic dollars).
Victory in the Hong Kong Mile on Sunday was the galloping gelding’s third in the event, and one of the reasons for Golden Sixty’s status in Hong Kong racing is his longevity. But he is also a performer of very high ability, and he has won 26 of his 30 starts, with two seconds and a third.
Golden Sixty is a cracking racer by any measure, and his personality, so easily seen from the extensive coverage given his racing and training, only adds to his appeal with the public.
Bred in Australia by Asco International Pty., Golden Sixty was sold first as a yearling at the Magic Millions sale, then resold as a 2-year-old in the New Zealand ready to race auction. At that sale, galloping well within himself, Golden Sixty showed a pleasing stride length of slightly more than 24 feet, as well as very good efficiency of motion and extension.
Purchased at the New Zealand sale by trainer Francis Lui, Golden Sixty was unraced at two and three, when his late birthdate (Oct. 14) put him at greater disadvantage. Since coming to the races as a 4-year-old, he has been practically unbeatable and was Horse of the Year in Hong Kong the past two seasons (2021 and 2022).
Jockey Vincent Ho said that Golden Sixty is “not eight – he feels like he’s four.”
The evergreen champion of Hong Kong racing is expected to race on next year, when his legend is sure to grow.