BY LAURIE ROSS

Some stallions offer speed. Others offer stamina. Bridlewood Farm’s Tunwoo (Medaglia d’Oro – Sea Gift, by A.P. Indy) offers both—blending athleticism with classic depth, the kind of pedigree balance that consistently produces effective two-turn runners.

Physically imposing and supported by an international female family rich in graded stakes success, Tunwoo brings Florida breeders a pedigree built on substance rather than trend, a horse whose page, presence and production profile point toward durability, scope and middle-distance capability.

AT THE RACES

A $775,000 RNA at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, Tunwoo was campaigned as a homebred for Charles and Susan Chu’s Baoma Corp. and placed in the care of Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. After firing three bullet works, he debuted in a maiden special weight at Los Alamitos Race Course on June 30, 2018, overcoming a hop at the start to finish a determined third in his only outing.

PEDIGREE

“Tunwoo is 16.3 hands and stands over a lot of ground. He is very correct and has a long fluid walk, very easy on the eye,” Bridlewood Farm’s General Manager, George Isaacs said. “He is a kind horse and easy to handle and work around.”

Tunwoo is bred on one of the most proven and classically balanced crosses in modern American breeding: the athletic, versatile influence of Medaglia d’Oro over the deep stamina foundation of A.P. Indy.

This cross is highly successful, producing 74% starters, 45% winners and ten black type winners, including multiple Grade 1 winner and 2022 leading American freshman sire, Bolt D’oro, plus the Grade 1-winners, 2011 Kentucky Oaks-heroine Plum Pretty; and Dickinson.

Medaglia d’Oro, won the 2002 Travers (G1) and 2003 Whitney (G1) and was second in six other Grade 1 races, including two editions of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the 2002 Belmont (G1), and the 2004 Emirates Airlines Dubai World Cup (G1).

While he possessed high cruising speed, his progeny routinely excel from middle distances through classic trips. He has sired elite performers effective from a mile-and-a-sixteenth to a mile-and-a-half, reflecting a balance of stamina and tactical pace rather than pure sprint speed.

At stud, Medaglia d’Oro has sired 187 stakes winners, including 2006 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra; 2018 Canadian Horse of the Year Wonder Gadot, and two-time American champion filly Songbird. Over the span of his stud career, his offspring have performed consistently at the highest levels. He has four Breeders’ Cup winners, two G1 Kentucky Oaks winners, a G1 Preakness winner, a G1 Golden Slipper winner and a Queen’s Plate winner.

Tunwoo’s distaff line carries international bloodlines whose offspring have won stakes across the globe.

His dam, Sea Gift (A.P. Indy – Ocean Queen, by Zilzal) captured her only start at Redcar Racecourse in Great Britain. She followed in the hoofprints of of her family as a producer of black-type winners, including Tunwoo’s full sister 2021 Santa Ysabel (G3) winner Beautiful Gift and half-brother 2014 Sunland Park Derby (G3) winner Chitu (by Henny Hughes).

Tunwoo’s second dam, Ocean Queen ( Zilzal – River Jig, by Irish River (FR) ) set a new course record of 1:47 in the 1996 Bay Meadows Breeders’ Cup Derby (G3) at nine furlongs.

Ocean Queen’s half-sister, multiple graded stakes-winner Dance Parade (by Gone West) bore Leading Light, winner of the prestigious St. Leger (G1) at Doncaster, and Ascot’s Gold (G1).

Other notable performers in this family include Two-time German champion Toylsome, Group 1 Venezuelan standout Fast Sensation (by Thunder Ridge) and Irish Group 1-winner Romantic Proposal (Raven’s Pass).

Tunwoo carries Rasmussen Factor inbreeding to the Rene-de-course mare Special in the fifth generation through half-siblings Fairy Bridge, dam of Sadler’s Wells, who is Tunwoo’s third tail sire and Nureyev, sire of Twnwoo’s damsire, Zilal.

Rasmussen Factor (RF) means the same superior mare appears more than once in a pedigree, through different offspring, such as siblings or half-siblings, within five generations on both the sire and dam sides.

In Tunwoo’s case, that duplication traces to one of the most important mares of the Northern Dancer era. It’s a reminder that this pedigree isn’t built on sire power alone, but on deliberately reinforced foundation mares whose influence has shaped modern Thoroughbred breeding for decades.

2015’s leading broodmare sire A.P. Indy (Seattle Slew – Weekend Surprise, by Secretariat) remains one of the most important stamina influences of the modern era. A Belmont Stakes winner and an exceptional sire of sires and broodmares, he consistently passed along depth, scope and the framework needed to carry speed over a mile-and-an-eight and beyond. His daughters have produced more than 250 stakes winners and are especially known for adding stamina and structural correctness, often tipping a pedigree toward Classic strength.

AT STUD

“A tall, strong, rangy horse whose appearance reflects the influence of A.P. Indy, Tunwoo tends to get foals in his own image,” Isaacs said. “In my mind, I would suggest his progeny are bred to be two-turn types with the strong influence of both Medaglia d’ Oro and A.P. Indy, both stamina influences.”

Tunwoo represents a Classic-forward pedigree with the structural depth to support performance at true middle distances and potentially classic trips. He is free of Mr. Prospector bloodlines, making him a natural outcross for mares carrying an abundance of that influence.

From limited opportunities, Tunwoo has shown significant potential. From 26 lifetime starters, he has 15 winners (58%), including his leading performer to date, Time Passage (Tunwoo – Savingtime, by Kantharos), winner of the Miss Gracie Stakes and Cellars Shiraz Stakes in 2023, and an earner of $374,302.