Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1105396
C O N S T E L L A T I O N C O N S T E L L A T I O N WinStarFarm.com Remembering Battle of Midway 62 to victory in that fall's Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), which happened to be the first time the event was held at Del Mar, the Nygaards' hometown track. The experience of watching Battle of Midway throughout his career was all the more impactful for Pavla because she knew him so well, from his early days at Chesapeake Farm and continuing on throughout his time on the racetrack with trainer Jerry Hollendorfer in Southern California. That gave her an especially deep perspective as she looked back on his life after the tragedy of Feb. 23, when he sadly broke down during a workout at Santa Anita and had to be euthanized. Pavla sees traits that Battle of Midway exhibited as a racehorse at ages three, four, and five that thread all the way back to the initial impression he made on her as a foal. "Horses that are very intelligent tend to get into everything," she said. "When I come to the farm in Kentucky, I like to see them in the pasture rather than have them presented to me. I can get a sense of who they are and the dynamics in their group. Battle of Midway was always the first to come up, like 'Hey, what is going on?' He would bite in a very playful way and was very forward in that sense. Having seen the way he handled himself on the racetrack, I can go back and tie it to some of those things I saw when he was younger. He would instigate things in a playful way and was never timid." As a yearling, Battle of Midway found a way to take a board off the wall in his stall and wound up with a splinter, an incident that immediately came to mind when she went into Hollendorfer's barn more than a year later and noticed that extra measures had been taken to keep him in his stall. "I immediately noticed his 'stall guard' above the webbing would be double-looped at the top," she said. "I remember chuckling at that, that he must have been trying to be creative as an escape artist. That's exactly how he was at the farm. I think you tend to see more character in the good horses than in the lower- end horses, whether it is exhibited in playfulness or intelligence or knowing that they are good." Although Battle of Midway brought a solid price north of $400,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling sale, Pavla felt he was somewhat overlooked in that boutique market where style and sizzle tends to go a long way. "He was plain, and I think sometimes people at the sales are drawn to the flashy horses with markings," she said. "He didn't have that, he had the great walk, the swagger, and the class that kind of emanated from him. I think the racehorses of the past had more of that. You wouldn't call it pretty, but you would call it beautiful, if that makes sense. You can say that about the Smart Strikes. They are stronger racehorses than sales horses." Since Battle of Midway was based in Southern California with Hollendorfer, the Nygaards were able to attend almost every one of his races. The Kentucky Derby experience was a clear standout. "To breed a horse that made the Derby and go through that whole experience and then for him to finish third, I assume that when I look back at my life whenever the end comes, that will be one of the highlights," Pavla said. "I'm very grateful to have experienced that." Battle of Midway's gritty victory by a half-length over Sharp Azteca in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile also was a dream scenario for the Nygaards since they live only a few miles from Del Mar. Additionally significant was the fact that Battle of Midway's dam, Rigoletta, broke her maiden at the seaside track for the Nygaards' Thor-Bred Stable and finished third in the Del Mar Debutante (G1). "[The Breeders' Cup] would have been special no matter where it happened but it was extra-special coming at Del Mar," Pavla said. "I have now had the privilege of seeing Rigoletta's foals and they all show her class, the willingness to engage in a fight on the racetrack. She is very gentle to deal with as long as you go by her rules. She was very professional to ride, very professional to work, and had a great work ethic. That was very evident in how he was. The early part of his career, he liked to be part of the speed but as he matured, it became obvious The early part of his career, he liked to be part of the speed but as he matured, it became obvious that he was one that would dig in and not shy away from a challenge. Pavla Nygaard " " Erik and Pavla Nygaard with their daughter Keira.