1952 Belmont NY Handicap horse racing program BATTLEFIELD 2YO Champ-Won Travers+

Description

September 20, 1952 Belmont Park Horse Racing Program. 2 year old Champion, BATTLEFIELD faces off against and beats a quality field of 6 others in the New York Handicap. Eddie Arcaro is up and gets the win over the likes of high-weight To Market, Bryan G, Alerted, Combat Boots, and Hall of Fame. BATTLEFIELD WON MANY IMPORTANT RACES: including The Travers Stakes. He also finished 2nd in the Belmont Stakes and could be eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame. Amazing addition to any collection. Program is in track used condition with average writing. It does have a relatively heavy horizontal crease...not easily seen from the front, but noticeable from the back of the program. Another one that has been in my personal collection for many years. Shipping in the U.S. will be .00. Always happy to combine shipping.
Battlefield (USA)
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Race record
44
starts,
2
2
wins,
14
seconds,
2
thirds, US$
474,727
1950:
Won Futurity Stakes (USA, 6.5FD, Belmont)
Won Hopeful Stakes (USA, 6.5FD, Saratoga)
Won Saratoga Special (USA, 6FD, Saratoga)
Won Sapling Stakes (USA, 6FD, Monmouth)
Won Tremont Stakes (USA, 5.5FD, Aqueduct)
Won Youthful Stakes (second division) (USA, 5FD, Jamaica)
Won Hialeah Juvenile Stakes (first division) (USA, 3FD, Hialeah)
2nd Juvenile Stakes (USA, 5FD, Belmont)
2nd Great American Stakes (USA, 6FD, Belmont)
3rd East View Stakes (USA, 6FD, Empire City; from fourth by disqualification)
1951:
Won Travers Stakes (USA, 10FD, Saratoga)
Won Dwyer Stakes (USA, 10FD, Aqueduct)
Won Withers Stakes (USA, 8FD, Belmont)
Won Choice Stakes (USA, 10FD, Monmouth)
Won Shevlin Stakes (USA, 8.5FD, Aqueduct)
2nd Belmont Stakes (USA, 12FD, Belmont)
2nd Arlington Classic (USA, 12FD, Arlington Park)
2nd Peter Pan Handicap (USA, 9FD, Belmont)
2nd Discovery Handicap (USA, 9FD, Aqueduct)
2nd Swift Stakes (USA, 7FD, Belmont)
1952:
Won New York Handicap (USA, 9FD, Belmont)
Won Westchester Handicap (USA, 9FD, Empire City)
2nd Metropolitan Handicap (USA, 8FD, Belmont)
2nd Grey Lag Handicap (USA, 9FD, Jamaica)
1953:
Won Appleton Handicap (USA, 9FD, Gulfstream Park; equaled track record 1:48-4/5)
2nd Gulfstream Park Handicap (USA, 10FD, Gulfstream Park)
2nd Palm Beach Handicap (USA, 7FD, Hialeah)
3rd Widener Handicap (USA, 10FD, Hialeah)
Honors
American champion 2-year-old male (1950)
Assessments
Rated at 124 pounds on the Experimental Free Handicap for American juveniles of 1950, 2 pounds below highweighted Uncle Miltie but tied with Big Stretch for second.
Ranked second among American 3-year-old males of 1951 by
The Blood-Horse
.
Ranked sixth among American older males of 1952 by
The Blood-Horse
.
Rated at 125 pounds on the
Daily Racing Form
’s Free Handicap for American older males of 1953, 11 pounds below divisional champion and Horse of the Year
Tom Fool
but tied for fourth overall.
Ranked sixth among American older males of 1953 by
The Blood-Horse
.
As an individual
Battlefield was a small, blocky, muscular chestnut colt who stood about 15.1 hands at the end of his juvenile season. He had stout bone for his size and had especially powerful hindquarters. Charles Hatton of the
Daily Racing Form
stated that Battlefield had a “crabbed way of going” at his slow paces and often appeared sore until thoroughly warmed up, but he extended himself well at racing speed, He was determined when set to a drive, indifferent as to track conditions, and capable of either coming off the pace or setting it. As he aged, he developed the bad habit of trying to pull himself up after making the lead, making it difficult to time his finishing run; he also became more reluctant to train, to the point that it was sometimes necessary to use a blindfold and a man following him with a whip to get him to exercise.
As a stallion
According to Jockey Club records, Battlefield sired 94 winners (71.2%) and 4 stakes winners (3.0%) from 132 named foals.
Battlefield was bred by John A. Bell Jr. and was owned by George Widener, who bought the colt for US,500 from the 1949 Saratoga yearling sales. He was trained by Bert Mulholland.
Fun facts
When broken with the other Widener yearlings, Battlefield earned the title of “Least Likely to Succeed” from Bert Mulholland’s staff as he was small, an indifferent mover, and not at all forward in his progress.
Battlefield’s US8,677 in earnings in 1950 set a new American record for a juvenile colt
.
Battlefield’s 3-year-old season was cut short by a training accident that sent him crashing through a fence after colliding with another horse. He was forced to miss the Belmont fall meeting and never quite displayed his previous form as an older male.
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