First of small group of Battle of Midway foals born

The first of what will be just a handful of foals by Battle of Midway, the 2017 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner with fertility obstacles, is a filly born Feb. 7 at Chesapeake Farm in Lexington, Ky.

The filly is out of the Giant's Causeway mare La Boheme, who is a half-sister to graded stakes winners Electrify and Rothko, as well as stakes producers Cream Only, Kinsey, Brilliancy, and Cuckoo Sue. Both La Boheme and her new foal are boarded at Chesapeake for owner Thor-Bred Stables LLC, which bred Battle of Midway.

“The birth went smoothly and both baby and mare are doing well," Chesapeake Farm owner Collier Mathes said in a release. "It was a family affair, with Battle of Midway’s full sister Rigged Smart observing the arrival of her niece from across the hallway.”

Battle of Midway, by the late leading sire Smart Strike and out of Grade 1 winner Rigoletta, finished third in the 2017 Kentucky Derby before winning the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes, Shared Belief Stakes, and Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in what was supposed to be his career finale. He was retired to WinStar Farm, but was found to be subfertile and was returned to training. The horse covered 61 mares in 2018, according to The Jockey Club's Report of Mares Bred; according to WinStar, he impregnated five of those.

Since returning to the races last August, Battle of Midway has won three times from six outings, including the Grade 2 Native Diver Stakes last November and, in his most recent outing, the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes. He is expected to make a trip to compete in Dubai.