KY’s young guns Medaglia d’Oro & Tapit shoot it out for No. 1!

What a week it’s been with things going on all over the place! Before I get to my post today (which is on Tapit), I need to send congratulations to the Irish National Stud for its role in the pedigree of today’s Epsom Derby winner Sea the Stars (Click here to view pedigree)! Click here to read my post on the late Urban Sea, dam of Sea the Stars and Galileo – also an Epsom Derby winner! What an accomplishment for Urban Sea – producing two Epsom Derby winners (actually dual classic winners because Sea the Stars won the 2000 Guineas and Galileo won the Irish Derby, too)!

Darley needs to be recognized, too. Sheikh Mohammed’s stallion operation stands Cape Cross, one of the best stallions in Europe behind only Galileo, Montjeu, and Danehill Dancer – the big three at Coolmore.

Sheikh Mohammed is making a run, though, to build one of the biggest stallion operations in the world! He stands 27 stallions in Australia at three different farms; he’s got his European operation in England, Ireland, and France; he’s sending stallions to Brazil and Argentina; and he’s got Jonabell Farm in Kentucky as his Darley operation here. And the big news for Darley America was Sheikh Mohammed’s purchase yesterday of Medaglia d’Oro, the sire of Rachel Alexandra. What a score! Medaglia d’Oro is one of the best young stallions we’ve seen come up in a long time, so this is another huge boost for the Darley operation.

Now, finally, I have a lead in to Tapit!

Tapit, like Medaglia d’Oro, is represented by his first crop of 3-year-olds this year, and last year HE was the big young horse before Medaglia d’Oro! Remember that his daughter Stardom Bound (Click here to view pedigree) was spoken about last year as we speak about Rachel Alexandra this year? She won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at the end of the year, was named the champion 2-year-old filly, was purchased by IEAH Stable for $5.7 million at Fasig-Tipton and was supposed to run in the Kentucky Derby.

Well, Stardom Bound is on the sidelines right now, but her sire Tapit hasn’t stopped siring SWs! In fact, he’s been just as productive as Medaglia d’Oro, and Tapit is second on the second-crop list  behind Medaglia d’Oro with not much separating them by earnings! Both are represented by 7 unrestricted SWs, with 4 Graded SWs for Tapit versus 3 Graded SWs for Medaglia d’Oro. (Tapit got his 7th yesterday when 3yo filly Malibu Beach (Click here to view pedigree) won the Alyssum Stakes at Belmont! And here’s something you might not know: Tapit could have easily had 5 Graded SWs, but his son As de Trebol (Click here to view pedigree) was disqualified from 1st to 2nd last Saturday in the G3 Prix du Palais-Royal in France!

Tapit stands for $35,000 at Gainesway Farm, and he’s bred on the very successful A.P. Indy/Fappiano cross as a son of Pulpit out of an Unbridled mare.

There’s no question in my mind that Tapit, like Medaglia d’Oro, is the real deal. There should be exciting times ahead for these two young guns!

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