Battle of Midway

Battle of Midway (January 30, 2014 – February 23, 2019) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his upset victory in the 2017 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. He also finished third in the 2017 Kentucky Derby before winning the Affirmed Stakes and Shared Belief Stakes that year. Briefly retired to stud in 2018, he proved sub-fertile and was returned to racing that summer. In his second career, he won several stakes races including the Native Diver and San Pasqual. He was euthanized on February 23, 2019, after suffering a severe fracture to the hind pastern while in training for his next race. Background Battle of Midway was a bay horse bred by Thor-Bred Stables, owned by Erik and Pavla Nygaard, and was foaled at Chesapeake Farm in Kentucky. His sire Smart Strike was a Canadian Hall Of Fame racehorse and notable sire who also sired Preakness Stakes winner Lookin at Lucky, Hall of Fame inductee Curlin, and Breeders Cup Turf winner English Channel. Battle of Midway's dam Rigoletta won the G1 Oak Leaf Stakes as a two-year-old. While in foal with Battle of Midway, Rigoletta developed a foot abscess that led to a serious coffin bone infection. Rigoletta eventually recovered and Battle of Midway thrived, developing a reputation as "the biggest and the strongest" foal at the farm. He was bought at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Sale for $410,000 on behalf of Rick Porter's Fox Hill Farm. Porter named the colt after the Battle of Midway in World War II. Battle of Midway was privately sold in 2017 to Don Alberto Stable and WinStar Farm after his second-place finish in the Santa Anita Derby. He was trained by Jerry Hollendorfer. Racing career