Journalists Wandering Eyes Posted February 23, 2019 Journalists Share Posted February 23, 2019 ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Battle of Midway (Smart Strike–Rigoletta, by Concerto), the 2017 GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile hero, reportedly broke down at Santa Anita Saturday morning. Blood-Horse was first to publicize the news, with co-owner Don Alberto Stable Racing Manager Fernando Diaz-Valdes initially indicating to the publication that the outlook was bleak before later reporting that the 5-year-old had been euthanized. Bred in Kentucky by Erik and Pavla Nygaard’s Thor-Bred Stables LLC, the $410,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling was runner-up in the 2017 GI Santa Anita Derby and a longshot third behind Always Dreaming (Bodemeister) in that year’s GI Kentucky Derby. After earning a first graded success in the GIII Affirmed S., he added an open-lengths tally in the Shared Belief S. and belied odds of 14-1 to upset Sharp Azteca (Freud) in the Dirt Mile at Del Mar. Returned to the barn of Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer after getting just five of 60 mares in foal at his co-owners’ WinStar Farm, Battle of Midway won three of his five appearances, including the GIII Native Diver S. in November and a gritty defeat of fellow ‘Rising Star’ McKinzie (Street Sense) in a sloppy renewal of the GII San Pasqual S. Feb. 2. He had since been green-lighted for a run in the G1 Dubai World Cup Mar. 30. This story will be updated as further information becomes available. View the full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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