Queen's Award reigns supreme at Keeneland

Medaglia d'Oro was represented by his second Stakes winner in as many days as daughter Queen's Award became his latest added-money winner with her victory in the Listed Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes at Keeneland on October 11th. Daughter Earnshaw earned her Stakes stripes the day before at Saint-Cloud in France when winning the G3 Prix Thomas Byron.

In today's five and one-half furlong sprint, Queen's Award found herself in last-place in the group of 11 fillies until the field turned for home. Veering to the outside at the top of the stretch, the four-year-old was able to run down the leaders and was pulling away at the wire.

Bred by Carl Hurst, Fred Bradley and William Bradley in Kentucky, Queen's Award is a daughter of the Stakes-winning Seattle Slew-line mare Town Queen, she a half-sister to the Stakes-placed winners Chief Export and King of Speed.

Queen's Award, who just missed winning the G3 Chicago Handicap two starts back, is one of 17 Group or Graded performers in 2013 sired by Medaglia d’Oro, a number that also reflects seven Group or Graded winners. Marketing Mix is now a G1 winner in both 2012 and 2013 and boasts a record that reflects a total of six G1 performances, including the runner-up spot in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Fillies and Mare Turf. Marketing Mix is one of seven career G1 winners sired by Medaglia d'Oro, a list that also includes Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra, in addition to Violence, his latest son to enter the stallion ranks in North America.