Medaglia d'Oro Dominates Book 1 by Gross Sales

Three seven-figure yearlings by Darley's Medaglia d'Oro  that occupied the summit of day four at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale clinched the leading Book 1 sire title by gross sales.

Medaglia d'Oro is one of three stallions represented by a yearling that sold for more than $2 million. His top-seller went through the ring during the Sept. 13 fourth session, when Hip 899 brought $2.1 million from Phoenix Thoroughbreds. The dark bay or brown colt is out of the graded-placed stakes winner Exotic Bloom, the dam of multiple grade 1 winner Stopchargingmaria.

The other sires with $2 million-plus yearlings were Claiborne's War Front  and Ashford Stud's first-crop yearling sire American Pharoah . War Front was represented by Book 1's top-selling yearling—a $2.4 million colt out of the grade 1 winner Streaming that M.V. Magnier bought during the second day of the sale. American Pharoah's top yearling sold on opening day, when Godolphin paid $2.2 million for a colt out of the graded-placed stakes winner Kindle.

For Book 1 overall, Medaglia d'Oro was represented by 31 sold of 37 offered that generated $19.395 million in gross sales. His average of $625,645 was second to War Front, who led Book 1 with a $782,500 average. Both Medaglia d'Oro and War Front were represented by five yearlings each selling for $1 million or more.

War Front and Medaglia d'Oro also had the leading Book 1 averages for colts at $899,375 and $732,188, respectively (minimum of three sold). The leading average among fillies, however, went to Gainesway's Tapit , who was represented by eight fillies averaging $704,375. War Front had the second-highest filly average with 10 averaging $689,000, and Medaglia d'Oro had the third-highest with 15 fillies averaging $512,000.

American Pharoah fever continued to burn and made the 2015 Triple Crown winner the second-leading Book 1 sire with gross sales of $17.27 million. The son of Pioneerof the Nile  was represented by three seven-figure horses that also included a $1.4 million colt out of Bsharpsonata purchased by Larry Best's OXO Equine, and a $1.2 million filly out of Pretty 'n Smart that M.V. Magnier acquired. American Pharoah was the sixth-leading sire by average with $466,757.

Seven sires through Book 1 were represented by gross sales exceeding $10 million. After Medaglia d'Oro and American Pharoah, they were Ashford Stud's Uncle Mo  ($16.89 million), Tapit ($14.33 million), War Front ($14.085 million), Hill 'n' Dale Farms' Curlin  ($13.45 million), and Spendthrift Farm's Into Mischief  ($10.88 million).

Eight sires came out of Book 1 with averages of $400,000 or more. War Front, Medaglia d'Oro, and Tapit remained the Big Three with averages all exceeding $600,000. Tapit was in third with a $623,043 average from 23 sold out of 31 offered.

The other leaders by average included Gainesway's Empire Maker , whose first U.S.-bred yearlings since returning from Japan averaged $498,235 for 17 sold out of 23 offered, followed by Curlin ($498,148), American Pharoah ($466,757), WinStar Farm's Pioneerof the Nile ($463,810), and Uncle Mo ($422,250).

The sire with the lowest rate of yearlings that didn't meet their reserve is Lane's End's Quality Road , who only had one yearling (4% of 23 offered) fail to sell. The son of Elusive Quality was the ninth-leading sire by gross sales at $8.725 million and 10th-leading by average at $396,591.

Quality Road had one seven-figure yearling, a colt out of What'smineismine that sold to Peter Brant's White Birch Farm in partnership with Three Chimneys for $1.1 million.