Battle of Midway (Smart Strike), winner of the 2017 GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, has been returned to training after being found to be subfertile, according to a report from the Daily Racing Form. WinStar Farm CEO Elliott Walden told the Racing Form that Battle of Midway impregnated five of the 60 mares he was bred to this spring.
According to the report, Battle of Midway galloped at Keeneland Sunday morning while under the training of Rodolphe Brisset, who also trains GII Tampa Bay Derby hero Quip (Distorted Humor) for WinStar, who owns the horse in partnership with China Horse Club and SF Racing.
Walden told the Racing Form that WinStar had a fertility policy through the Great American insurance company, which assumed ownership of Battle of Midway before he was ultimately purchased back by WinStar Farm and Don Alberto Corporation with the intent of returning him to training.
Under the training of Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, Battle of Midway won five times from 10 starts and banked $1,249,949 in earnings.
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