$1.75M Medaglia d'Oro Colt Impresses at Santa Anita

This column highlights the performances of maidens who have made no more than five starts and who either sold for more than $500,000 at public auction, have siblings that are grade/group winners, or have dams that are grade/group winners. BloodHorse research shows maiden winners, in particular, who meet these criteria are more likely to go on to be graded stakes winners.

Santa Anita Park 

Red Baron’s Barn and Rancho Temescal’s "Ultimate Gamble " began to pay off this past weekend when their $1.75 million son of Medaglia d'Oro   cruised to a 2 1/4-length score in an April 1 maiden special weight at Santa Anita Park.

The second highest-priced juvenile at the 2022 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds-in-Training, Ultimate Gamble's connections signed the ticket on the strapping dark bay following a :10 1/5 breeze during the under tack show.

Sent to trainer Mark Glatt in southern California, Ultimate Gamble finished a respectable fourth in his debut last summer at Del Mar in a stacked 6 1/2 furlong maiden race that was won by two-time grade 1 winner Cave Rock  and included top Kentucky Derby (G1) contender Practical Move  (runner-up).

Given time away from the races, the colt lit up the Santa Anita work tab this winter with a sparkling :59 1/5 five-furlong work Feb. 11. Coming into Saturday’s contest, which would be run over the mile, Glatt conditioned the colt through three straight six-furlong drills.

Fitness would prove to be no issue come race time, and Ultimate Gamble raced with the ease of a consummate professional under global riding superstar Frankie Dettori. Held comfortably in third position behind early fractions of :23.07 and :47.70 while running in the clear down the backstretch, Dettori cued the colt around the bend, and he circled the field four-wide turning for home. From the top of the lane to the wire, Ultimate Gamble widened his advantage, striking the wire in a final time of 1:36.68 on a fast main track.

Did you miss #4 ULTIMATE GAMBLE's big win at Santa Anita? The son of Medaglia d'Oro cost $1.75 million and just might be special with this win here under @FrankieDettori. pic.twitter.com/nWw9LjVUvy

— TVG (@TVG) April 1, 2023

Ultimate Gamble’s victory was over a distance never tried by his brilliantly fast half brother, the 2016 Eclipse Award-winning champion sprinter Drefong . Trained by Bob Baffert, Drefong, also a winner in his second outing, absolutely dazzled in the latter half of his sophomore campaign. Sent east to Saratoga Race Course for the 2016 King’s Bishop Stakes (G1), he dominated his age group by 3 1/4 lengths in a sharp 1:21.25 before defeating his elders, and cementing his Eclipse title, with a steely victory in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita. In both of those races, he defeated two-time Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) hero Mind Your Biscuits . Brought back at 4, Drefong turned in yet another scintillating performance, grabbing the lead early and overwhelming his rivals with a four-length romp in the 2017 Forego Stakes (G1). His final time of 1:21.12 was only 3/5 off the Saratoga course record.

While speed was Drefong’s game, the influence of two-turn sire Medaglia d’Oro certainly offers plenty of indication of Ultimate Gamble’s abilities to improve over a route of ground. Even on his female side, his dam Eltimaas  is a daughter of 2004 Horse of the Year and Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Ghostzapper   and is a half sibling to 2003 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) victor Action This Day.