La Crete, the highly anticipated result of breeding Medaglia d'Oro to multiple Grade 1-winning heroine Cavorting, didn't disappoint in her stakes debut.
La Crete lived up to her billing as the even-money favorite in the listed Silverbulletday Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds.
Conditioned by Steve Asmussen, La Crete won her debut geared down but learned a valuable lesson in her second start in the Silverbulletday. In the stretch of the listed race, she hesitated slightly and eyed Fannie and Freddie as the more experienced filly passed her and opened up by two lengths.
Joel Rosario gave La Crete three reminders to put her mind back on her business. La Crete responded and surged forward, passed Fannie and Freddie to win by a length and galloped out in front of the pack.
La Crete (Medaglia d'Oro - Cavorting, by Bernardini), a Stonestreet Stables homebred, earned 10 points toward the 2022 Kentucky Oaks.
Medaglia d'Oro (El Prado (IRE) - Cappucino Bay, by Bailjumper) entered stud in 2005 and has been among the top sires since his first offspring hit the track in 2008. He has sired five champions, 68 graded-stakes winners and 131 stakes winners.
Even though Medaglia d'Oro gets a good proportion of winning colts and some of his sons are doing well at stud, he has a reputation as a sire of fillies. Fourteen of his 26 Grade 1 winners are fillies, three of whom – champions Songbird and Rachel Alexandra plus multiple Grade 1 winner Elate– are among his top five lifetime earners.
Medaglia d'Oro's offspring are sound, durable runners who are superior over dirt, mud and turf but are average over Polytrack. It isn't uncommon to see Medaglia d'Oro progeny winning at the highest level as 4- and 5-year-olds. His babies tend to improve with maturity, and his precocious 2-year-olds are even better as 3-year-olds.
Most Medaglia d'Oro progeny are best up to 1 1/8 miles over all surfaces. However, the stallion can get classic distance winners at the highest level. Medaglia d'Oro is represented by 19 winners between 1 1/4 miles to 1 1/2 miles in North America.
La Crete is bred on the same Medaglia d'Oro/Bernardini cross
as Grade 3 winner Moonlight d'Oro and multiple listed-winning
turf miler Inthewinnerscircle. La Crete and Moonlight d'Oro are out of daughters
of Bernardini and claim Carson City as their second damsires.
Cavorting is quickly establishing herself as a prominent broodmare. Her first foal, Clairiere (Curlin), hit the board in eight of 10 starts and earned $1,290,992.
Along the way, Clairiere picked up victories in the Rachel Alexandra (G2) and Cotillion Stakes (G1) and placed in five other graded stakes. Clairiere's only off-the-board finishes were a fourth-place finish in last year's Kentucky Oaks and the same result in the Breeder's Cup Distaff.
La Crete is the second foal out of Cavorting, and Cavorting's 2-year-old colt, Judge Miller, is a full brother to Clairiere. Cavorting was barren for 2021 but is expecting an Into Mischief foal this spring.
Cavorting is the most accomplished earner from five winners in her immediate family. Her half-brother Moon Colony (Uncle Mo) won the 2019 Penn Mile (G2), and her hardy half-brother Thirstforlife (Stay Thirsty) is a veteran of 37 races and is a multiple graded stakes placed sprinter/miler.
La Crete's second dam, Grade 2 winner Promenade Girl (Carson City), was in the money in 16 of 21 starts and earned $678,990. The mare was successful from a mile to nine furlongs and earned Grade 2 winning status in the Molly Pitcher Handicap, defeating Breeders' Cup Distaff heroine Round Pond.
Promenade Girl was the most accomplished runner in her immediate family. She no doubt received her class from her second dam and third dams, the reine-de-course (superior females) Dance Review (Northern Dancer) and Dumfries (Reviewer), a half-sister to the phenomenal competitor and sire Lyphard.
Kentucky Oaks contender or pretender?
Only 2012 Silverbulletday winner Believe You Can has also won the Kentucky Oaks, however, Unbridled Forever (2014) and I'm a Chatterbox (2015) finished third in the Oaks.
La Crete has the pedigree and conformation to handle classic distances. She has a bright future, and could add Kentucky Oaks victory to the roster of Grade 1 wins collected by her dam and half-sister.
Although no plans for La Crete's next race have been announced, the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) on February 19 is a logical goal.
