Touch Gold

STALLION

OF THE WEEK

JULY 18

by James Scully

Medallist flatters Touch Gold in Dwyer

A sparkling performance by Medallist in Sunday's Dwyer S. (G2)

has earned TOUCH GOLD (Deputy Minister) Stallion of the Week

honors. The three-year-old colt returned off a near 2 1/2-month

layoff to scorch his rivals on the front end of the 1 1/16-mile

Dwyer, recording fractions of :22 4/5, :44 2/5, 1:07 4/5 and 1:33

1/5 before stopping the timer in a stakes record 1:40. Blue Grass

S. (G1) hero The Cliff's Edge (Gulch) was 3 3/4 lengths back in

second.

Medallist is from his sire's second crop. Another sophomore of

interest this year by Touch Gold is Mass Media, who defeated

older rivals when making his seasonal bow recently at Belmont

Park. The Bobby Frankel-trained colt is three-for-four overall.

Touch Gold earned more than $1.6 million on the track and

captured the Haskell Invitational H. (G1), but he's better known

for derailing the 1997 Triple Crown bid of Silver Charm in the

Belmont S. (G1).

One opinion holds that Silver Charm never saw Touch Gold and

wouldn't have allowed him to pass in deep stretch had Free House

not been in-between rivals. That's highly disputed by those who

contend that Touch Gold would have won the last two legs of the

Triple Crown had he not stumbled at the start and been stopped in

the stretch of the Preakness (G1).

One thing everyone can agree upon is that Touch Gold was a

heckuva runner when his feet were right. A brilliant 8 1/2-length

victor of the Lexington S. (G2) before his stretch in the

Preakness, Belmont and Haskell, the bay was never the same

afterward due to foot problems.

Owned by Stonerside Stables and Frank Stronach, Touch Gold is

the last foal from the terrific Buckpasser mare Passing Mood, a

stakes winner herself and out of Canadian Oaks queen Cool Mood

(Northern Dancer), which makes her a half-sister to the unraced

Shy Spirit (Personality), dam of 1990 Canadian Horse of the Year

Izvestia. Passing Mood produced two stakes-caliber foals before

throwing With Approval, who captured the Canadian Triple Crown

and was named Canadian Horse of the Year in 1989. She's also the

dam of stakes winners Bar U Mood (Saratoga Six) and Daijin

(Deputy Minister).

Touch Gold concluded his racing career in 1998 and entered

stud at Adena Springs Kentucky. His first crop included the

prolific filly Composure, who captured the Oak Leaf S. (G2)

before finishing a close second to champion Storm Flag Flying

(Storm Cat) in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). After

opening her three-year-old season with victories in the Las

Virgenes S. (G1) and Santa Anita Oaks (G1), Composure was being

considered for the Kentucky Derby (G1), but she was injured and

retired.

Touch Gold is the sire of last year's Tampa Bay Derby (G3)

winner Region of Merit and Holy Bull S. (G3) runner-up Powerful

Touch, but the best male from his first crop is Midas Eyes, a 9

1/4-length winner of the Swale S. (G3) who also captured the 2003

Derby Trial (G3). Midas Eyes finished second in last year's Cigar

Mile H. (G1) and has also placed in the Malibu S. (G1) and Riva

Ridge (G2).

Another recent stakes winner from Touch Gold is the

three-year-old filly Adobe Gold, who earned her initial

black-type score with a 4 3/4-length tally in the Halo America S.

at Calder earlier this month.

At auction, 99 yearlings have been sold for more than $13.9

million, with an average price of $140,777. Twenty-eight

weanlings have passed through the sales ring at an average of

$115,071, and 32 juveniles averaged $142,344.

Touch Gold, who brought a live foal fee of $50,000 this year,

stands at Adena Springs Kentucky.