Micromanage leads the way in Queens County Stakes

A winner of the G3 Skip Away Stakes at Gulfstream and the Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga earlier this year, four-year-old Medaglia d'Oro colt Micromanage added his fourth Black type win December 13 proving best in the Listed Queens County Stakes at Aqueduct.

In the one-and-one-eighth-mile race Micromanage was content positioned off the pace in seventh. Around the far turn he began to challenge, traveling widest of all to take over the lead, and kicked on in the stretch to hold off challenge and capture the win.

Bred by Fiona Craig and Dermot Cantillon, well-bred Micromanage is out of multiple Stakes-winning mare Catnip, herself a half-sister to Champion Hold That Tiger and Classic winner Editor's Note. Micromanage is a half-brother to Graded Stakes winner Indescribable and Stakes winner Elaflaak. As a three-year-old, the son of Medaglia d'Oro was a winner of the Long Branch Stakes at Monmouth and also placed in the G1 Haskell Invitational.

A consistent sire of talented runners, Medaglia d'Oro has been represented by five Stakes winners to date in November and December alone. They include three-year-old Atreides who took the Aventura Handicap less than one week ago, and daughter Yahilwa who easily won the Treasure Chest Stakes at Delta Downs in late November, among others. Medaglia d'Oro's most notable runners this year though are G1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap winner Lochte and G1 Just A Game winner Coffee Clique. Other G1 winners for the sire include Horse Of The Year Rachel Alexandra, G1-winning turf specialist Marketing Mix, and G1 Kentucky Oaks winner Plum Pretty.

Medaglia d'Oro will be represented by nine yearlings at January's Magic Millions Yearling Sale on the Gold Coast highlighted by Lot 373 from the draft of Evergreen Stud Farm (as agent), a brown filly out of the dual G1 winner Lady Jakeo and Baramul Stud's Lot 668, a bay colt out of the stakes winner Tennessee Midnight, making the colt a half-brother to G1 winner Aloha.