Medaglia d'Oro Colts Top Saratoga Day 1 Hips to Watch

Two Medaglia d'Oro   colts are among the top horses to watch for the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale that begins Aug. 7. The two-day sale will be held at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., with sessions beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET nightly.

Hip 27, consigned by Eaton Sales, is a Medaglia d'Oro colt produced from an unraced mare who is a half sister to champion filly Untapable and to grade 1 winner and sire Paddy O'Prado  . The colt was bred in Kentucky by Dr. Aaron Sones, Lester Kwok, and Dr. Naoya Yoshida.

"He is a very good example of his father," said Eaton Sales' Reiley McDonald. "He is very leggy and scopey and has a beautiful long walk. There are only a few Medaglia d'Oros up here, but I think physically he stands out."

Gainesway offers Hip 44, a Medaglia d'Oro colt produced from grade 1 winner Rigoletta, the dam of Battle of Midway, the Affirmed Stakes (G3) winner whose two grade 1 placings include a third in this year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum Brands (G1). He was bred in Kentucky by Thor-Bred Stables.

Cataloged one hip later is a Curlin   colt out of grade 1 winner River's Prayer who was bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings and consigned by Craig and Holly Bandoroff's Denali Stud.

"He was bred by Stonestreet, and they breed good horses and sell good horses," Craig Bandoroff said. "He is a fantastic individual."

Another to watch for Monday is a Malibu Moon   colt for which Jim and Pam Robinson have high expectations. Consigned as Hip 49 by Lane's End, the colt was bred by the Robinsons' Brandywine Farm and Spendthrift Stallions. The colt is a half brother to Royal Mo, the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) winner who finished third in the Santa Anita Derby (G1). The colt's second dam, Irish Linnet, is a grade 2 winner who won 19 races and earned more than $1.2 million.

The colt is "athletic and covers the ground well," but the trait that sets him apart from most other horses is his intelligence, Pam Robinson said.

Hip 91 is a son of first-crop sire Cairo Prince   produced from Unbridled Mistress, an Unbridled's Song mare who has one stakes-placed runner to her credit. The colt is offered by Select Sales, agent for Machmer Hall, which bought Unbrilded Mistress for $55,000 out of the 2016 Keeneland January sale while carrying the colt en utero.

"He was a hell of a horse from the time he was born," said Select Sales' Andrew Cary. "He looks like everything you would want in a horse if you designed it. He looks like he has speed and looks like he can stretch it out. He is just a dream horse. He's always been a star."