Battle of Midway to Use Kelso as Breeders' Cup Prep

With a step forward in the $300,000 Kelso Handicap (G2) Sept. 22 at Belmont Park, Don Alberto Stable and WinStar Farm's Battle of Midway could be in a position to defend his title in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1).

The 4-year-old Smart Strike colt, who was determined to be subfertile following this year's breeding season and returned to training in May, has every reason to improve off a second-place finish to Catalina Cruiser in his first start back, the Aug. 25 Pat O'Brien Stakes (G2) at Del Mar.

"I think he's training pretty well and is improving," said Don Alberto racing manager Fernando Diaz-Valdes. "The first race back is complicated. He was in the breeding shed until ... May at least. Maybe he came back a little too soon, but Del Mar got him in shape.

"He was more of a stallion physically, so to change that—it took a little work. We're excited we might have a pretty good horse."

If all goes well, Diaz-Valdes said the Jerry Hollendorfer-trained colt could make his way back to the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Churchill Downs. Battle of Midway won the race around two turns at Del Mar in 2017, but the eight-furlong test will be a one-turn contest at Churchill, which makes the one-turn-mile Kelso an ideal prep, although Diaz-Valdes said they also considered running in the 1 1/8-mile Awesome Again Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park.

BALAN: Battle of Midway Breaks Through in BC Dirt Mile

"If we do it well, we will step up to the Breeders' Cup," Diaz-Valdes said. "We discussed it with WinStar and with Elliott Walden and agreed it would be a good step forward. One step at a time, from a seven-furlong race to a mile, and we know he loves the distance."

Battle of Midway is familiar with shipping out from his Southern California base and has fired on the road, but he hasn't won out of town yet and hasn't raced at Belmont. His out-of-town starts include a third in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1), a sixth in the betfair.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1), and a second in the Oklahoma Derby (G3), all in 2017.

Much of the field that will challenge Battle of Midway in the Kelso, however, has experience over the massive Belmont main track. Woodford Racing's Timeline has two wins at Belmont, including the 2017 Peter Pan Stakes (G3), and finished second in his last start at Belmont to fellow Kelso entrant Sunny Ridge in the July 6 State Dinner Stakes. Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable, and Terp Racing's Still Having Fun—the only 3-year-old in the field—won his only Belmont start in the Woody Stephens Stakes Presented by Mohegan Sun (G2).

GENARO: Still Having Fun Makes the Grade in Woody Stephens

Rounding out the field is last-out Alydar Stakes winner Realm, fellow stakes winner No Dozing, and recent allowance winner Patternrecognition.

Entries: Kelso H. (G2)

Belmont Park, Saturday, September 22, 2018, Race 8

• Grade II
• 1m
• Dirt
• $300,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 5:18 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Battle of Midway (KY)	Flavien Prat	123	Jerry Hollendorfer	2/1
2	2Timeline (KY)	Javier Castellano	118	Chad C. Brown	8/1
3	3Realm (VA)	Junior Alvarado	116	Barclay Tagg	10/1
4	4No Dozing (KY)	David Cohen	116	Arnaud Delacour	4/1
5	5Still Having Fun (MD)	Joel Rosario	116	Timothy L. Keefe	8/1
6	6Patternrecognition (FL)	Tyler Gaffalione	115	Chad C. Brown	9/2
7	7Sunny Ridge (NJ)	Manuel Franco	118	Jason Servis	3/1