January 4 2017

From California to the Gulfstream Waters…

2016 was another great year for progeny of stallions at Darley in America with outstanding performances and the retirement of promising sires of the future

Medaglia d'Oro

It didn’t take long for Darley sires to find their stride in 2016 with Medaglia d’Oro’s multi-dimensional son Mshawish getting things started in south Florida. Mshawish successfully landed the G3 Hal’s Hope at Gulfstream Park in January then added a second G1 win to his resume when winning the G1 Donn Handicap on the dirt the following month on February 6th. A horse for any course, he also annexed a G1 on the turf when winning the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap in 2015.

Champion Songbird

Another Eclipse Award awaits his outstanding Songbird who started her string of seven consecutive Graded victories on February 4th in California with an effortless win in the G2 Las Virgenes Stakes before reeling off four G1 wins in the Santa Anita Oaks, Coaching Club American Oaks, Alabama Stakes and Cotillion Stakes. Her final start of the year was a championship-caliber performance in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff in which she lost by only a short nose to the six-year-old and three-time Eclipse Award winner Beholder.

Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra

Songbird wasn't the only filly by Medaglia d’Oro to distinguish herself among the best of her generation as two-year-old New Money Honey won the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and the G3 Miss Grillo Stakes in three starts as a juvenile. And the word is that an appearance on the dirt is not out of the question for this versatile filly, a reasonable consideration given the success of runners by her sire on all surfaces.

Medaglia d’Oro also netted his third Saratoga sale topper in six years with his yearling filly from the great family of foundation mare Chris Evert bringing $1.45 million. Other highlights of Medaglia d’Oro’s stellar year included his Horse of the Year daughter Rachel Alexandra being inducted to the Horse Racing Hall of Fame as well as being bred to Zenyatta, Street’s Cry’s outstanding daughter who was also inducted to the Hall of Fame.

Kentucky Oaks winner Cathryn Sophia

Street Boss, too, achieved outstanding success with his progeny as daughters Cathryn Sophia and Decked Out added to their sire’s expanding resume by winning high-level events. Cathryn Sophia proved the best of the nation’s three-year-old fillies when defeating 13 of the nation’s top sophomores in the G1 Kentucky Oaks. And other three-year-old daughter Decked Out saved her best for last when taking the G1 American Oaks at Santa Anita on New Year’s Eve.

Bernardini, as well, continued on with his role as one of North America’s top sources for quality racehorses. Only Tapit and War Front had more Graded winners in 2016 than Bernardini. His total of 10 in that category in North America included the multiple G1 winner Cavorting who added two new G1 wins to her stellar record in 2016 with victories in the G1 Personal Ensign Stakes and G1 Odgen Phipps Stakes. Bernardini’s two-year-old son Hemsworth ran away with the G2 Nashua Stakes while his two-year-old daughter Jamyson ‘n Ginger posted the highest Beyer of the year for a two-year-old with a 103 when breaking her maiden at Belmont.

Eclipse Champion Nyquist

In the stallion barn, two of the best horses to race in North America last year are now Darley Stallions: Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist and Metropolitan Handicap record breaker Frosted.

2015’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Nyquist carried on with his high-level successes when beating all others in the G1 Kentucky Derby and G1 Florida Derby. He entered the record books on par with Seattle Slew when he matched that one’s heroics as a champion two-year-old who also went on to win the Kentucky Derby while undefeated. He also matched fellow Darley stallion Street Sense as the only other horse to win both the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Kentucky Derby. And it didn’t take long for breeders to confirm their excitement for the son of Uncle Mo as his 2017 book filled within two weeks of his retirement.

And last but not least is the retirement of Godolphin’s outstanding four-year-old colt, the multiple G1 winner Frosted.

Winner of the G1 Wood Memorial at three, Frosted doubled his number of top-level wins last year with victories in the G1 Metropolitan Handicap and G1 Whitney. His Met Mile win was truly one for the ages as he won by fourteen and one-half lengths while notching an impressive 123 Beyer Speed Figure. That number was the highest of any horse in all of 2016 and one that hadn’t been reached in nine years.

With past performance as our guide, hope springs eternal yet again in 2017 for our sires, a year in which we will also see the first foals hitting the track for Kentucky Derby and Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom along with Forego Stakes champion Emcee.

If you would like to discuss your matings for the upcoming year, please don’t hesitate to give our nominations team a call on (859) 255-8537.