Caulfield: Mshawish Caps Big Weekend for Medaglia d'Oro

GULFSTREAM PARK TURF H.-GI, $300,000, GPX, 2-7, 4yo/up, 1 1/8mT, 1:47 1/5, fm. 
1–MSHAWISH, 118, h, 5, by Medaglia d'Oro 
     1st Dam: Thunder Bayou, by Thunder Gulch 
     2nd Dam: Bayou Storm, by Storm Cat 
     3rd Dam: At the Half, by Seeking the Gold 
($25,000 wnlg '10 KEENOV; $10,000 yrl '11 
KEESEP; €170,000 2yo '12 ARQMAY). O-Al Shaqab 
Racing; B-OTIF 2007 (KY); T-Todd A Pletcher; 
J-Javier Castellano. $178,560. Lifetime Record: 
GSW-UAE, SW & GSP-Fr& UAE, 17-6-2-2, 
$1,055,155. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the 
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 
Click for the brisnet.com chart, the brisnet.com PPs or the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO. 

With his 5-year-old sons Mshawish and Valid pulling off a fine graded stakes double at Gulfstream Park three days ago, Medaglia d'Oro earned my vote for stallion of the week. Of course, such an achievement should come as no great surprise for a stallion who will imminently start his sixth consecutive season at a six-figure fee (his 2015 fee has risen to $125,000, following five years at $100,000). 

It mustn't be forgotten, though, that it was during the years when his fee stood at around $40,000 that this son of El Prado made his name. To be precise, he spent the 2005 season at $35,000 at Hill 'n' Dale, before spending most of the next four years at a fee of $40,000 at Stonewall Farm. It was nearing the end of his fifth season, after the GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Preakness S. victories by Rachel Alexandra, that he was switched to Darley following the purchase of a majority interest by Sheikh Mohammed. 

For the record, Medaglia d'Oro has so far sired 30 graded/group winners in the major Northern Hemisphere countries. His magnificent first crop set the bar very high, with a total of seven graded winners headed by the Grade I scorers Rachel Alexandra, Gabby's Golden Gal, C.S. Silk and Warrior's Reward. With his next three crops being a good deal smaller than that 145-strong first crop, Medaglia d'Oro naturally didn't match those highly impressive initial statistics. He still did very well, though, adding 10 more graded/group winners to his tally, including the Grade I winners Champagne d'Oro, Passion For Gold, Marketing Mix and Plum Pretty. 

But it was his fifth crop–the one sired largely at Stonewall prior to his switch to Darley–which has proved the most fruitful. The Grade I winner Mshawish and Grade II winner Valid are among the magnificent total of 11 graded/group winners from this crop, which was previously headed by Violence (GI CashCall Futurity), the nicely named Lochte (GI Gulfstream Park Turf H.) and Coffee Clique (GI Just A Game S.). 

When a stallion's fee jumps considerably to $100,000, it is only natural that everyone expects him to do even better than before. As I am convinced that most stallions are heavily dependent on the quality of their mares, I too am expecting an avalanche of top winners from Medaglia d'Oro's six-figure crops. But it is worth remembering that it is hard to improve on perfection–or near perfection–so Medaglia d'Oro faced a tough task in trying to fulfil these heightened expectations. 

Also, it wasn't just Medaglia d'Oro's fee and location that had changed. The chances are that, with considerable support from the Maktoum family, there was also a change in the type of mare he received. 

It is far too soon to be drawing any firm conclusions about Medaglia d'Oro's youngest crops of racing age, but the bare facts are that only one graded winner–the French Group 3 winner Earnshaw–has so far emerged from the 118 named foals in his 2011 crop (which also includes the Grade I-placed fillies Fast Anna and Miss Besilu). It is a similar story with the 2012 crop, which so far has the Grade III winner Imperia among its 111 foals. 

I should rapidly add that the 2011 crop still has every chance of adding to its graded-winner total–no fewer than 13 of Medaglia d'Oro's 30 graded winners waited until they were four or older to record their first graded success. It's a shame that “TDN Rising Star” Atreides has been forced into early retirement by a tendon injury after this fleet-footed colt had won four of his five starts, usually in very fast time. I note with interest that he is based at Hill 'n' Dale, where Medaglia d'Oro started out so brilliantly. Hill 'n' Dale is also home to the unbeaten 2-year-old Violence, so the farm must stand a good chance of finding an heir to its former resident. 

To get back to Medaglia d'Oro's 2012 crop, it goes without saying that it still has time very much on its side. Although eight of Medaglia d'Oro's graded winners, such as Violence, Rachel Alexandra, Passion For Gold and C.S. Silk, recorded their first important victories at two, another nine of his graded winners didn't do so until they were three. He has a potentially smart 3-year-old in France in Mexican Gold. This half-sister to the Group 1 winner Announce won her only juvenile start in good style. 

It is worth mentioning that Mshawish and Valid are males, as there was a stage early in Medaglia d'Oro's career when fillies dominated his list of leading winners. These imbalances have a way of evening out–although not always–and this has happened with Medagla d'Oro. His 30 graded winners now divide evenly between the males and females, but the fillies still hold the advantage at the highest level, leading the males by seven to five when it comes to Grade I winners. 
It is going to be fascinating to see how Medaglia d'Oro fares with his Australian crops, which are smaller than their American equivalents (the first four number between 67 and 80 live foals). His first crop–currently aged three–has so far produced the Group 3-winning sprinters Nostradamus and Java, but all eyes are focused on Vancouver, a colt from his second crop. He earned “TDN Rising Star” status when he won a listed race in fast time on his debut last October and he won the G3 Canonbury S. over five and a half furlongs at the end of January, to keep his Golden Slipper hopes alive. 

With a May 16 birthday, Mshawish managed only one start as a juvenile in France, but he was mature enough to take his chance in the G1 Prix du Jockey-Club and emerged with plenty of credit in finishing fourth of 19 to Intello. He has since proved his ability in the UAE and now the U.S., so there is plenty to like about the latest winner of the GI Gulfstream Park Turf H. With a record like this, it is hard to believe he sold for as little as $25,000 as a weanling and for $10,000 as a yearling. 

Mshawish follows Passion For Gold as the second Grade I winner from the 12 foals sired by Medaglia d'Oro from daughters of the recently retired Thunder Gulch. His dam Thunder Bayou failed to win during a brief career but she had an interesting pedigree in that she is inbred 3 x 3 to Storm Bird and 3 x 4 to Mr. Prospector. The admirable Summer Bird was another inbred 3 x 3 to Storm Bird. 

Thunder Gulch's stallion career was a tale of two halves. The champion 3-year-old of 1995 started extremely well, with those outstanding performers Spain and Point Given in his first two crops, but his popularity faded over the years. It is worth remembering that he covered some very good mares during the first eight or nine years of his career, so his eldest daughters had the depth of pedigree often needed to succeed as a broodmare. Thunder Bayou, for example, comes from the same female line as those good fillies Lu Ravi and Halfbridled. Another of Thunder Gulch's daughters, the unraced Alittlebitearly, is the dam of G1 Dubai World Cup nominee Bayern.