Graded stakes winner Battle of Midway was much the best in Saturday’s $100,000 Shared Belief S. at Del Mar, rolling to a 6 1/4-length victory for his second career stakes win and fourth victory in eight lifetime starts.
The 3-year-old colt owned by Don Alberto Stable and WinStar Farm LLC, who won the Affirmed S. (G3) in June and finished third in the Kentucky Derby (G1), has now banked $620,000.
Breaking from the outside post in the field of six, Battle of Midway was three-wide around the first turn, but was well in hand under Flavien Prat. Continuing well off the fence down the backstretch and into the second turn, Battle of Midway ranged up to the lead without urging, a drew off easily in the stretch to finish the mile in 1:35.94.
“He really likes a target he can sit off of,” said Dan Ward, assistant trainer to Jerry Hollendorfer. As far as future plans for the son of Smart Strike, Ward said, “There are two races, the Pennsylvania Derby (G1, $1 million on Sept. 23 at Parx) and Oklahoma Derby (G3, $400,000 on Sept. 23 at Remington Park) which are possibilities.”
