Battle of Midway Ready to Roll in San Antonio Stakes
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Battle of Midway (inside) edges Dabster to win the Native Diver Stakes at Del Mar
With a couple stakes wins under his belt and some of that old grade 1-winning pep back in his step, Battle of Midway will try to keep his momentum going in the $300,000 San Antonio Stakes (G2) Dec. 26 at Santa Anita Park.
Six months since Battle of Midway returned to training, after he was pronounced subfertile following his first year at stud, the 4-year-old son of Smart Strike has notched back-to-back stakes wins and is on track for a third should all go according to plan.
After runs in the Aug. 25 Pat O'Brien Stakes (G2) and Sept. 22 Kelso Handicap (G2), where he finished second and fifth, respectively, Battle of Midway recaptured his winning rhythm in the Oct. 28 Comma to the Top Stakes at Santa Anita, where he pulled away to win by 4 1/2 lengths.
BALAN: Battle of Midway Dominant in Comma to the Top Stakes
Back in graded company in the Nov. 25 Native Diver Stakes (G3) at Del Mar, the Jerry Hollendorfer trainee battled with Dabster in the stretch and prevailed by a neck to secure his first graded victory since he took the Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) in 2017.
BALAN: Battle of Midway Holds Off Dabster in Native Diver
Owned in partnership by Don Alberto Stable and WinStar Farm, Battle of Midway is slated as the 9-5 morning-line favorite for the 1 1/16-mile San Antonio.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum's Dabster enters Wednesday's test off a brace of second-place finishes in the Nov. 2 Marathon Stakes Presented by TAA (G2) and Native Diver. Trained by Bob Baffert, victory in graded company has eluded the 4-year-old son of Curlin in his 11-start career.
Trying his luck in stakes company for the first time since 2016, Hronis Racing's Gift Box will make his first start in almost eight months. Formerly trained by Chad Brown for W.S. Farish, the 5-year-old son of Twirling Candy was privately purchased by Hronis and turned in a bullet work for new trainer John Sadler Dec. 19 at Santa Anita, where he clocked five furlongs in 1:00 flat, the fastest of 66 at the distance.
"The plan was obviously to have (Hronis-owned) Catalina Cruiser for those (handicap division) races this year, but it doesn't hurt to have two," Sadler said of Gift Box. "We were looking for depth. I think he fits in the division out here."
Another horse to watch is Levy Racing's Beach View, the only Maryland-bred in nine-horse field. Trained by Leonard Powell, the versatile son of the late Giant's Causeway enters off a third-place finish in the Nov. 23 Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes (G3T) at Del Mar. Prior to that effort, Beach View scored a 1 3/4-length win the July 25 Cougar II Handicap (G3) at Del Mar going 1 1/2 miles on the dirt.
Jeremy Balan contributed to this report.
Santa Anita Park, Wednesday, December 26, 2018, Race 8Entries: San Antonio S. (G2)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Pitino (MD)
Edwin A. Maldonado
119
Doug F. O'Neill
30/1
2
2Battle of Midway (KY)
Flavien Prat
124
Jerry Hollendorfer
9/5
3
3Dabster (KY)
Joseph Talamo
122
Bob Baffert
5/2
4
4Sonneteer (KY)
Kent J. Desormeaux
122
J. Keith Desormeaux
20/1
5
5Yulong Warrior (FL)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
119
Doug F. O'Neill
20/1
6
6Tatters to Riches (KY)
Tyler Baze
119
Jeff Mullins
5/1
7
7Gift Box (KY)
Joel Rosario
122
John W. Sadler
4/1
8
8Air Strike (KY)
Florent Geroux
119
Philip D'Amato
12/1
9
9Beach View (MD)
Rafael Bejarano
124
Leonard Powell
8/1
