He was bred by Albert and Joyce Bell of Great Falls, Montana and foaled on April 11, 1999, at Katalpa Farm in Paris, Kentucky.
El Prado was the first son of Sadler's Wells to establish himself in the United States, becoming the leading sire in North America in 2002.
[5] As a yearling in 2000, Medaglia d'Oro was sent to a ranch in Arizona where he learned the basics of being a racehorse under the care of Raland Ayers.
[2] Leading up to the 2002 Triple Crown, Medaglia d'Oro won the San Felipe Stakes in California then finished second in the Wood Memorial in New York.
[6] After a brief rest, Medaglia d'Oro returned in early August to win the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course by 13+3⁄4 lengths under jockey Jerry Bailey, who would ride him in all his subsequent starts.
[7] Medaglia d'Oro started his four-year-old campaign with a seven-length victory in the Strub Stakes in February at Santa Anita, then won the Oaklawn Handicap in April by 2+3⁄4 lengths.
He won January's Grade I Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park in Florida, then at the end of March, he finished second to Pleasantly Perfect in the Dubai World Cup at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates.
In May 2004, Medaglia d'Oro was sold to Richard Haisfield, who retired him to stud duty in 2005 at Hill 'n' Dale Farms for a fee of $35,000.
[13] † Prior to 2015, the Leading Sire Lists published by The Blood-Horse excluded earnings from Hong Kong and Japan due to the disparity in purses.