Medaglia d’Oro Filly to Darley

After the dust had settled on the first of several well-bred Hill ‘n’ Dale weanlings to go through the Keeneland sales ring Wednesday, Dick O’Gorman, bidding on behalf of Darley, was signing the ticket at $850,000 for hip 232. The filly, by Medaglia d’Oro, is out of Violent Beauty (Gone West) and is a full-sister to 2012 GI CashCall Futurity winner Violence. 

“She’s a full-sister to a Group 1 winner and she was a very nice individual,” O’Gorman said. “Hopefully she’ll be a racemare and a broodmare in the future. She’ll race in America and hopefully join Darley’s broodmares in the future.” 

O’Gorman did his bidding out back, while his chief opposition, Peter Berglar of Stonereath Stud, was bidding from a doorway inside the pavilion. As the bidding passed the $800,000 mark, Berglar walked away, only to come back and make one more bid at $825,000. But O’Gorman answered back quickly and there was no responding bid from Berglar. 

Hill ‘n’ Dale’s John Sikura said the weanling was the complete package. “She’s a sister to a Grade I winner, looked the part, she’s from a young female family tracing back to Maplejinsky and significant fillies over the last 20-30 years. She is a May foal, so for a May foal she looks the part, a lot of substance, a lot of strength. She has a smooth, good walk by a great sire with a pedigree that has worked before. Everything is indicative of a filly that hopefully will have a great future.” 

The weanling was bred by Hill ‘n’ Dale and Dell Ridge Farm.