Battle of Midway

BATTLE OF MIDWAY (c, 3, Smart Strike–Rigoletta, by Concerto)

'TDN Rising Star' O-Fox Hill Farms, Inc. B-Thor-Bred Stables, LLC (KY). T-Jerry Hollendorfer. Sales History: $410,000 Ylg '15 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: GISP, 4-2-1-1, $290,000.

Last Start: 2nd, GI Santa Anita Derby, SA, Apr. 8

Thoro-Graph sheet, Equineline PPs

KY Derby Points: 40

Don't use Battle of Midway's frontrunning tendency in the Santa Anita Derby as a guide to where he'll placed early on in the Kentucky Derby. Trainer Hollendorfer told XBTV after the 'TDN Rising Star' worked six furlongs in 1:13.40 at Santa Anita last Friday that he has been teaching the colt to sit behind horses and wait for his jockey's cue in his last two workouts. He added that Battle of Midway only ended up as the rail pacemaker in a three-way go in the Santa Anita Derby because the colt broke so well and otherwise would have been shuffled back on the fence. “I don't plan on being on the front end in the Derby … We'd like to probably be somewhere off the pace,” Hollendorfer explained. The exact strategy will be up to jockey Flavien Prat, who re-inherits the mount in the Derby (as one of four different jockeys to have ridden Battle of Midway in his four career races). Although light on experience, Battle of Midway is a Jan. 30 foal who has demonstrated the ability to withstand pace pressure while shifting smoothly into additional gears, and he is not to be overlooked as a very live “sleeper” in the Derby picture. While not the top candidate to win, Battle of Midway (depending on his post draw) could wind up as the best value play in the mutuels.

VIDEO PPS