Certain stories write themselves, complete with high and lows, twists and turns, and endings, both happy and very, very sad. Battle of Midway is one of those stories. The son of Smart Strike was lucky to have made it into this life at all, allowing as how his dam, Rigoletta, tried to founder midway through her pregnancy and needed surgery to save her life, along with the life of her foal. They made it, though, mother and son, and the little one hit the ground hale and hearty on Jan. 30, 2014, for his breeders, Erik and Pavla Nygaard. Bloodstock adviser Tom McGreevy fell in love with the colt at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton sale of yearlings in Saratoga and spent $410,000 of Rick Porter’s money to get him. The colt already had a name – Rightful – but Porter changed it to honor the memory of the decisive World War II battle in which the U.S. Navy sunk four Japanese aircraft carriers near a tiny atoll in the Pacific, just six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Battle of Midway’s early lessons were promising, but he was a growthy fellow, and all concerned – including trainer Jerry Hollendorfer – decided to let the clock run for a while before putting the colt in the game. When it happened, with a smart maiden win on Jan. 21, 2017, it appeared as if the wait would pay off. Three starts later, Battle of Midway finished a close second in the Santa Anita Derby to earn a Kentucky Derby berth. It was an ambitious move, no doubt, and by that time Porter had sold the colt to the partnership of WinStar Farm and Don Alberto Stable. Battle of Midway went and made them look smart with a third-place Derby finish to Always Dreaming. The summer and early fall of 2017 unfolded for Battle of Midway without significant waves. He won the Grade 3 Affirmed, punching below his weight, then took a minor race at Del Mar named for the consummate racehorse Shared Belief, the 2-year-old champion of 2013 who was lost to a fatal colic attack at age 4. Jerry Hollendorfer also trained Shared Belief. Both of those Battle of Midway winner’s circle photos featured Flavien Prat sporting the white WinStar silks, complete with a patch on the left shoulder bearing the initials “KC” in memory of Karri Casner, who was one of the 202 killed in a 2002 terrorist attack on a nightclub in Bali. Her parents, Bill and Susan Casner, founded WinStar with Kenny Trout, then later sold their interest. Karri’s patch, however, remains. Hollendorfer, ever convinced there was a major moment out there with Battle of Midway’s name on it, handled him accordingly. On Nov. 3, 2017, it all came together in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar, in which Battle of Midway defeated Sharp Azteca by a half-length. And that was that. Battle of Midway was off to stud at WinStar and serviced some 60 mares. But in another one of the game’s cruel jokes, only five were found to be in foal. Faced with a 4-year-old colt who had retired sound, his owners collected on their fertility policy, bought him back from the insurance company, and returned Battle of Midway to Hollendorfer with the instructions, “What you did before – do it again.” Battle of Midway was holding up his end admirably. His most recent start was his best, a half-length win over the classy McKinzie in the San Pasqual on Feb. 2 at Santa Anita. He was working last Saturday morning, with the Dubai World Cup squarely in his sights, when he sustained an irreparable fracture of his right-hind pastern. He could not be saved. Nothing says Battle of Midway should be mourned any more or less than Hot American, the 4-year-old gelding who suffered a fatal injury in a turf race last Friday at Santa Anita, or Just Forget It, an unstarted 4-year-old who broke down and was euthanized later on Saturday morning. But then Thoroughbred karma at its most inscrutable provided the Battle of Midway story with a coda worthy of the deepest, heartfelt sigh. About 18 hours after his death, at a farm called Chilly Bleak in northern Virginia, a mare named Delicate Affair gave birth to the first – and perhaps only – son of Battle of Midway. Those who believe in the transmigration of souls may now take a bow. “When we saw Battle of Midway last spring at WinStar, we knew we had to have him for our mare,” said Jim FitzGerald, who owns Chilly Bleak with his wife, Katie. Delicate Affair, a daughter of Langfuhr, provides the blaze-faced little chestnut with a family that includes Seeking the Gold, champion Queen of the Stage, and Reviewer, sire of Ruffian. “Of course we’d heard the terrible news about Battle of Midway,” FitzGerald said. “And since all signs pointed toward the mare giving birth that night, the emotions were keener than usual. The delivery was as normal as could be. He was on his feet and looking for milk right away. And he’s a good-sized colt, 135 pounds, strong-boned and very healthy. “There’s no explaining why our mare was one of only five to get in foal to Battle of Midway,” FitzGerald added. “That will remain one of nature’s mysteries. But wouldn’t it be something if this little fellow turns out to be a good one.”