Every once in awhile a horse will come along that can excel at the highest levels on both dirt and turf - Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer John Henry, Hall of Famer Exceller, Champion Wise Dan, and Horse-of-the-Year California Chrome, to name a few. But when it comes to sires with the versatility to consistently sire runners on both surfaces, you have to look at little bit harder.
Danzig could do it on a pretty regular basis. Storm Cat is in the mix. And, most recently, you'd have to put Scat Daddy in this lofty group. But over the past five years, one stallion stands out among the world's best and that would be Medaglia d'Oro. Although Medaglia d'Oro never raced on the turf, his sire, El Prado, was distinctly turf. By the great Sadler's Wells, he raced exclusively in Ireland but came to America for his stud career, and like Medaglia d'Oro, sired horses that excelled on both surfaces, which is undoubtedly where Medaglia d'Oro gets this rare trait from.
