Medaglia d'Oro Filly to Shadwell for $1.6 Million

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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
The Medaglia d'Oro filly consigned as Hip 319 in the ring at the Keeneland September Sale

Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Shadwell Estate emerged the victor of a frenzied bidding war Sept. 14 and took home an Ontario-bred filly by Darley's Medaglia d'Oro  during the second session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

"I'm very emotional right now," said David Anderson of Anderson Farms, who bred and consigned the filly as Hip 319. "I bred her mother and I bred this filly, and she's probably the most athletic filly I've ever had on the farm. We came here fairly confident that everyone would feel the same way I do and I know that Mr. Nichols bought her for Shadwell. I want to thank Mr. (Joseph) Allen for being the underbidder on the filly. There were many wonderful people that I respect that came by to see the filly and bid on her. It means a lot to a little guy from Canada.


"From the day she was born she was meant to be a sale-topper. Not only is she athletic but she has an unbelievable racehorse mind. She wants to do it. She dragged that showman around for three days and never turned a head. It was amazing to watch. I could sit there for a year and watch that filly." 

David Anderson consignor of Hip 319 filly by Medaglia d’Oro out of Orchard Beach from Anderson Farms at <br><br />
Keeneland September sale yearlings in Lexington, KY on September 14, 2020.
Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
David Anderson at Keeneland

"She was a beautiful filly, extremely well bred, and conformationally correct," said Rick Nichols, who signed the ticket on behalf of Shadwell. "It's one of those you kind of got to have.

"(Sheikh Hamdan) told me this morning to try to concentrate on getting some really nice fillies. We send all of our really good fillies to England, and he promises that he's going to send them back, but he never does. So our broodmare band is starting to get a little old and we need to rejuvenate it a little bit. We are looking for a nice colt, but mainly our focus will be on some nice fillies."

Hip 319 is out of the Tapit  mare Orchard Beach, who produced another winning foal in Sergei Prokofiev. Raced primarily in Europe through 14 career starts for Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier, and Michael Tabor, the son of the late Scat Daddy won the listed Coolmore War Command Rochestown Stakes and the Newmarket Academy Godolphin Beacon Project Cornwallis Stakes (G3) as a juvenile and also placed third in the Coventry Stakes (G2). He returned at 3 to win the Cork Stakes but finished off the board in the last three starts of his sophomore season. 

On the same day his half sister went through the sales ring, Whitsbury Manor Stud announced that they had reached an agreement with Coolmore to stand Sergei Prokofiev at the operation in Hampshire, England, for the 2021 breeding season. 

Sergei Prokofiev joined the Coolmore fold when purchased by M.V. Magnier for $1.1 million at the 2017 Keeneland September sale. At the time, the colt was the first horse personally bred by Anderson to reach the seven-figure mark. While Hip 319 did not hold the title as sale-topper, Anderson said if it had, it would have been the first time one of his horses had ever achieved the honor. 

"My dad (Robert) topped Saratoga a couple of times but this is my Kentucky Derby as a breeder so if I can top the sale—pinch me," said Anderson.

While celebrations are certainly in order, Anderson said he's focused on selling the rest of his stock through the later books that begin Sept. 16. With the market affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ontario-based breeder said he's hoping to get all his horses sold. 

"I think the market is a little tricky," said Anderson. "There were quite a few RNAs earlier today that had me a little nervous but people are here to buy quality horses and they're looking for reasons to scratch a horse off their list. You have to bring the right product in and you'll get paid. 

"We're going to find out what the middle market is like next week. I've still got lots to go and I have to get up early tomorrow morning and do it all over again."

Shadwell purchased two other yearlings during Book 1, both of which were also sired by Medaglia d'Oro. The first was Hip 231, a $425,000 filly out of the graded stakes-wining Mineshaft  mare Juanita. The filly was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. The final purchase was Hip 369, a colt out of the English Channel  mare Seanchai. Also consigned by Taylor Made Sales, the colt was bought on a final bid of $450,000.