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Battlefield Snugged to Handy Score Outsprints Nullify by Length For First Victory of Season Widener Colt Has His Speed ° In Withers Prep as Arcaro Just Hand-Rides in, Stretch BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L. I., N. Y., : May 22. — Gedrge D. Wideners Battlefield scored his first victory of the year in the Garden City Purse today and did it in a style indicating that hes "back." The 1950 juvenile champion reached the end of the six furlongs a length before Phantom Farms Nullify, with Eddie Arcaro sitting snug through the final sixteenth, after having been caught unprepared when George Cassidy*pressed his button the instant the last horse, Away Away, entered the gate. Nullify finished full of run behind Battlefield, who was conceding him 16 pounds, and was a little more than a length before Larry MacPhails General Staff, who was also getting 15 pounds. Greentree Stables Northern Star, who was equally weighted with the winner, was four lengths out of the money in fourth place. Battlefield stepped the six furlongs in 1:10% and after the race Arcaro said that he could have done it in 1:09%, the track record set by Mighty Quest last week. Arcaro also said that Battlefield lunged at the start, then went to his horses and had no trouble the rest of the way, adding, "the Withers on Saturday will tell if he can go any distance." The crowd of 20,074 that turned out in warm, hazy weather made Battlefield an almost prohibitive choice at .20 for the customary minimum, and the colt made it look like an overlay. Battlefield was the third winning favorite of the day. Jack the Great went to the front at the start of the Garden City, while Battlefield was last to leave the gate, but the favorite quickly rushed up to the leaders and at the end of a quarter was a head before General Staff, who led Jack the Great by the same margin. It was another length and a half back to a compact group composed of Lord Putnam, Northern Star, Away Away and Nullify, who had been squeezed back to last place. Not Rushed by Arcaro Once in command, Arcaro didnt rush Battlefield and General Staff was lapped on him in tiie run around the turn, while Jack the Great was also close at hand, but beginning to falter. At the same time, Nullify began to close ground along the rail. Curving for home, Battlefield drew away from General Staff and Nullify moved, up on«*he inside. Sensing the threat, Arcaro shook his stick beside the War Relic colts head passing the eighth pole then when it became evident that Nullify couldnt gain , any more, he sat still and gave the colt the mildest of hand rides to the finish. The Garden City was Battlefields third start of the year. He had finished second to Uncle Miltie at Jamaica and second to Jumbo in the Swift Stakes last week. The colt is now commuting between Belmont Park and Erdenheim Farm in Pennsylvania and apparently enjoys it. Marise Farms Uncle Edgar circled the leaders in the nominal feature, the Hampden Handicap, and drew away in the stretch to win that mile by four and a half lengths from G. H. "Pete" Bostwicks Stunts, who led Elm Crest Parms pace-making Navy Chief by another three-quarters of a length. Joseph M. Roeblinga Admiral Drake was another three lengths in arrears. Eric Guerin rode Uncle Edgar, a repeater, who paid .30 as the fourth winning choice of the afternoon The Florida-bred son of Peace Chance stepped the mile in 1:35% without being asked to do his utmost, though Guerin kept shuffling almost to the end. Navy Chief set the pace to the stretch, I followed by Stunts, while Uncle Edgar, as usual, was far back in the early stages. of the Hampden. Guerin asked him to start his move between the turns and the brown . stallion quickly moved into third place. . Stunts put Navy Chief away in the upper stretch, but was no match for Uncle Edgar j when the favorite surged up to challenge . I just above the eighth pole. All three of the . leaders in this mile were eased in the final I three strides.
