Representing the Deputy Minister branch of the Northern Dancer sireline, Medallist owns a pedigree that makes him available to a broad spectrum of mares. Although his sire, Touch Gold, won the Belmont Stakes, which implies an excess of stamina, Touch Gold has been throwing back to the sprinting side of his pedigree, that of his own sire, the champion two-year-old and outstanding sprinter Deputy Minister. Three out of the five Touch Gold graded stakes winners -- Midas Eyes, Medallist, and Mass Media are all classy sprinters, while his daughter Composure was one of the most precocious fillies of her crop.
If we mark Medallist as a typical Deputy Minister in aptitude, then we can probably take good advantage of Deputy Minister's best nicks as well. These would include Bold Ruler and Princequillo - so he's ideal for anything with Secretariat like A.P. Indy, Storm Cat, and Gone West .
Touch Gold has sired stakes winners out of a mares by A.P. Indy and Gone West, but so far, his best nick class-wise seems to be with mares from the Ribot male line, specifically Tom Rolfe and his son Hoist the Flag. This cross has accounted for his top two earners to date, Composure (dam by Alleged, by Hoist the Flag) and Midas Eyes (dam by Bayou Hebert, by Hoist the Flag), and he's also had stakes winners out of a mare by Forty Niner (dam by Tom Rolfe) and one with a second dam by Ribot's son Arts and Letters. Touch Gold has also done well with mares from the Mr. Prospector line, specifically 3 by Gone West, Forty Niner and Conquistador Cielo, plus one out of a mare by Mr. Prospector himself, and another with the second dam by Mr. Prospector.
What's unusual about Touch Gold's pedigree is that he's closely inbred, 3x3, to Northern Dancer on the top and bottom of his pedigree, through his grandsire Vice Regent, and granddam Cool Mood. To the student of pedigrees and genetics, this intense inbreeding suggests that he'd do best when outcrossed, or bred to mares that don't have Northern Dancer blood, and so far, that's exactly what seems to be happening. Not a single one of Touch Gold's nine stakes winners has an additional cross of Northern Dancer in their dam's pedigree.
The next step in this breeding logic dictates that any one of those stakes winners should do well when bred back to mares carrying Northern Dancer in their pedigrees, that is, returning to their sire's genetic strength. This is what should work well with Medallist in particular, especially in light of his dam's pedigree.
Medallist's dam, Santaria was a restricted stakes winner at two, and bloomed into one of the best fillies of her year at three. Although she did not win a stakes, she ran second in the Acorn Stakes (G1), Bonnie Miss Stakes (G2), Monmouth Breeders' Cup Oaks (G2), and Beaumont Stakes (G2). Santaria is a daughter of Star De Naskra, a useful racehorse, a stakes winner at two and three, who developed into a versatile multiple Grade 2 winner at four, sprinting and into the middle distances.
Star De Naskra was an equally useful sire, and he and his sire Naskra nicked particularly well with Turn-to line mares, especially Halo and Roberto (including Dynaformer and Red Ransom). Santaria is an example of that nick, since her dam was by Halo, who is very interesting in this mix, since he was a grandson of the important broodmare Almahmoud, who was also the granddam of Northern Dancer. So Medallist has 3 strains of Almahoud 6x6x5, twice through Northern Dancer, and once through Halo. This supports the idea that additional Northern Dancer would boost Medallist, since it adds more Almahmoud to his "genetic strength."
It might be worth trying to double Halo as well, as another way to return to Almahmoud, and Saint Ballado, Devil's Bag, Rahy, Harlan, Silver Ghost or Machiavellian (dam inbred to Almahmoud) could be prime sources. Other good sources of Almahmoud include Danehill (inbred to Northern Dancer's dam Natalma), or Maribeau (in Mari's Book, by Northern Dancer and also inbred to Almahmoud), Arctic Tern, Cannonade, and his son Caveat. A cross of Roberto would double up on Halo's sire Hail to Reason, and add to the good nick with Naskra. Sir Gaylord was another good source of Turn-to for Star De Naskra.
Another interesting feature in Santaria's pedigree is her 4x4 inbreeding to Tudor Minstrel through daughters Star Minstrel (granddam of Star de Naskra) and Languid (Santaria's third dam). Medallist might do well with mares carrying similar bloodlines, such as more Tudor Minstrel, or his close relatives Abernant (in Al Hattab) and Forli, or anything with a generally strong background in Tudor Minstrel's grandsire Hyperion.
A few other areas of Medallist's pedigree that could be key strains are his great-grandsire Vice Regent, who has crossed very well when bred back to mares carrying his full brother Viceregal, or try mares with his close relatives The Minstrel and Far North. Touch Gold's dam was by Buckpasser, and doubling up on Buckpasser has proven successful, so look for mares by stallions carrying other daughters of Buckpasser which would include A.P. Indy, Summer Squall, Miswaki, Seeking The Gold, and Woodman.
Fortunately, Medallist's bloodlines line up well with American and European bloodlines alike, which is unusual in a dirt-raced stallion prospect today.
By Anne Peters