Battle of Midway Purchased Privately by Don Alberto & WinStar

Battle of Midway | Benoit

Don Alberto Stable and WinStar Farm have partnered to purchase GI Santa Anita Derby runner-up and 'TDN Rising Star' Battle of Midway (Smart Strike) from Rick Porter's Fox Hill Farm.

The $410,000 FTSAUG yearling will continue to be trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer as he prepares for the GI Kentucky Derby.

“We are excited to join with WinStar on such an exciting racing prospect,” said Fernando Diaz-Valdes of Don Alberto Stable. “Battle of Midway has shown tremendous potential, and we feel he is an excellent prospect for the Kentucky Derby and beyond. We have the utmost respect for Mr. Porter and the job he and his team have done in developing Battle of Midway, and we appreciate the opportunity to campaign him going forward.”

Elliott Walden, WinStar President, CEO & Racing Manager, added, “We very much look forward to our partnership with Don Alberto on Battle of Midway, and we believe this colt has a bright future as both a racehorse and stallion prospect. Physically, it's easy to see why he was picked out at the Saratoga Select sale by Tom McGreevy, who's one of the best judges of a horse in the game. Battle of Midway ran well in the Santa Anita Derby after being hounded through fast fractions, and he has a lot of qualities that make him an exciting Kentucky Derby contender. When you think about him being one of the last top colts by Smart Strike–a proven sire of sires, you can't help but to think about his potential down the road as a stallion.”

Battle of Midway, bred in Kentucky by Thor-Bred Stables LLC, is out of GI Oak Leaf S. heroine Rigoletta (Concerto). A flashy debut winner at Santa Anita Jan. 21, the bay was also third in the GII San Vicente S. and captured his first start going two turns, defeating Don Alberto's promising Reach the World (Tapit) in an optional claimer at Santa Anita Mar. 9.

Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.

Copy Article Link

X

Never miss another story from the TDN

Click Here to sign up for a free subscription.