By Alan Carasso
The story of the legendary three-times Hong Kong Horse of the Year Golden Sixty (Aus) could scarcely be more international in nature.
The bay was produced by an American-bred daughter of Distorted Humor who was raced to Group 2 success in Ireland, was sold on to Australian interests and was subsequently bred to the outstanding Medaglia d'Oro, who was on his dual-hemisphere missions at the time.
Sold as a yearling on the Gold Coast in Queensland and as a ready-to-run prospect in New Zealand, Golden Sixty plied his trade in Hong Kong, and the rest, as they say–10 Group 1s and $21.2 million in earnings later–is history.
There is set to be a full-circle moment of sorts when a yearling colt by Medaglia d'Oro out of Golden Sixty's aptly named half-sister Golden Sister (Aus) (Capitalist {Aus}) is offered at this year's Keeneland September Sale. Eaton Sales will consign the colt.
Golden Sixty was purchased for just over US$88,000 at Magic Millions in 2017 (he would go on to make better than US$200,000 at the New Zealand Bloodstock breeze-up sale later that year)–but his then-yearling half-sister by G1 Golden Slipper-winning 'TDN Rising Star' Capitalist was the subject of higher scrutiny, given that Golden Sixty was a month removed from his first elite-level success in the 2020 Longines Hong Kong Mile at the time of the sale. All Winners Thoroughbreds paid US$330,000 for Golden Sister at the Gold Coast Sale.
It didn't work out for Golden Sister at the races, in fact, she never faced the starter, and she boarded a flight bound for the Northern Hemisphere in July 2022. After a circuitous trip, the filly was sent to Winchester Farm of Dr. Naoya and Marie Yoshida, the latter of whom has her finger on the pulse of Australasian bloodstock markets and who gave Golden Sister a serious look at the Gold Coast in the throes of COVID-19 in January 2021.
“I gave her an A+ for conformation and walk,” Marie Yoshida said in a TDN interview in early 2023.
Medaglia d'Oro's days as a shuttle stallion ended in 2018, and it was always an easy decision–a 'no-brainer'–to send Golden Sister to the Darley stalwart in Kentucky. The mare foaled a colt on Mar. 3, 2024, and according to Yoshida, he has the makings of a horse which should appeal to buyers from all corners of the globe.
“He has more of the physical attributes of a turf horse than a dirt horse I would say and of course you're buying the 'dream', because it's going to be such a rare offering,” said Yoshida. “He has Australian characteristics and is suitable for Hong Kong, but he could even be suitable for Japan.”
Described by Yoshida as a horse that is a “good walker with good conformation,” the Golden Sister colt has never been treated with kid gloves despite his regal bloodlines.
“We raise them in a very traditional and natural way,” she said. “It was a very tough winter, but they didn't receive any special care. No coming into the stall if it was too cold or icy or snowy. They need this for their upbringing. You want them to be as tough as nails. He doesn't get any special treatment, the natural method is the best.”
It might have made some sense for the colt to be offered as a foal at Keeneland last fall, but Yoshida and the colt's ownership opted for a more patient approach.
Golden Sixty | Horsephotos/Tomoya Moriuchi
“We could even have been tempted last November, but he just wasn't ready, he's a horse for September,” she explained. “We expect that he will peak right at the beginning of September, he'll need the summer to mature.”
Given his Australian roots, the success of his half-brother in a rugged environment such as Hong Kong and given that Japanese raiders routinely took a beating from Golden Sixty when they tried in vain to take him on at Sha Tin, the colt could well be the subject of interest from those jurisdictions, Yoshida said. But she suggests there is plenty to like from the perspective of an end user or a reseller in this country.
“While this horse has all the quality required by any Australian judge or those that pick out horses for Hong Kong, he could very well appeal to the American market too,” she said. “The [Grade I] Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf is a very exciting option for young horses, and you have races such as the Belmont series for 3-year-olds and Kentucky Downs has created some very valuable races, such as the [$3.5-million] Nashville Derby. So a colt such as this represents an interesting opportunity to target those sorts of races.”
Golden Sister was bred back to Medaglia d'Oro after being given some time post-foaling last spring, but she did not catch, and she was returned to the stallion to Southern Hemisphere time in early September 2024. She is currently in foal, and after she delivers in late August, the mare could make one more visit to Medaglia d'Oro, with the possibility of returning to the Southern Hemisphere.
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