Battle of Midway, American Anthem drill for East Coast engagements

ARCADIA, Calif. – Battle of Midway and American Anthem, two of the best 3-year-olds based on the West Coast, both will be taking their acts on the road in the coming weeks, with Battle of Midway headed to the Haskell at Monmouth on July 30 and American Anthem going to the Allen Jerkens, formerly the King’s Bishop, at Saratoga on Aug. 26.

Both will decamp for summer training at Del Mar, but before heading south, they each turned in workouts on a warm Friday morning at Santa Anita.

Battle of Midway, with regular rider Flavien Prat aboard, pulled away from workmate Southern Freedom through the lane in an eye-catching drill in 1:12.40 for six furlongs.

“He used to want to wait on horses. Not anymore,” said Dan Ward, the local assistant to Battle of Midway’s trainer, Jerry Hollendorfer, who was in Delaware on Friday preparing Songbird for the Delaware Handicap.

Battle of Midway most recently won the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita on June 24. That was his lone start since finishing third in the Kentucky Derby.

American Anthem also had been under consideration for the Haskell, but trainer Bob Baffert on Friday said he was going to keep him around one turn for the time being. American Anthem most recently won the Grade 2 Woody Stephens on the Belmont Stakes card, which followed a victory in the Grade 3 Laz Barrera at Santa Anita. Both of those races are at seven furlongs, as is the Grade 1 Jerkens.

On Friday, American Anthem worked five furlongs in company in 1:00 and went so easily that Santa Anita’s clockers termed the work “breezing.” It was the lone work of 205 on Friday morning here designated as such.

“Perfect,” Baffert said as American Anthem galloped out. “I was going to send him to the Haskell, but I don’t think he’s ready to go long.”

American Anthem finished 12th of 13 in the Santa Anita Derby in his last two-turn try.