view raw text
Battlefield Battlefield Heads Heads Nine Nine in in Peter Peter Pan; Pan; Eighteen Eighteen Seek Seek Miss Miss America America Stakes Stakes Battle Morn, Greentree Duo To Oppose War Relic Colt Today Will Be First Time * Widener Ace Is Asked to Travel Route at Belmont By BOB HORWOOD Staff Correspondent BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L. I., N. Y., June 8.— George D. Wideners Battlefield will be asked to go a route tomorrow for the first time in the twelfth rurfhing of the Peter Pan Handicap, a race which may either result in his being the favorite for the 00,000 Belmont Stakes a week later, or demonstrate that he is not a stayer. Battlefield will pick up tbpweight of 123 pounds, conceding from three to 20 to eight rivals in this 0,000 added mile and a furlong event. The chief opposition tomorrow consists of Cain Hoy Stables Battle Morn,. 120; Greentree Stables Big Stretch, 119, and Hall of Fame, 113, and C. V. Whitneys Counterpoint, 114. There are some surprises among the lightweights, notably Belair Studs Vulcania, a filly who gets in with 109, the .same burden assigned Woodvale Farms Away Away. The field is completed byLazy F Ranchs Out Point and Phantom Farms Father Tiber, a couple of unexpected candidates, with 103 pounds each. Prep for Belmont Stakes While the Peter Pan is regarded as a prep for the mile and a half -of the Belmont, none of the 11 previous winners of- Continued on Page Thirty-Seven BATTLEFIELD Battlefield to Head Nine in Peter Pan Battle Morn, Greentree Duo Oppose War Relic Colt in His First Route Engagement Continued from Page One tomorrows stake has gone on to win the third tier of the "Triple Crown," though two who finished in the money in the nine-furlong event went on to better things a week later. In 1944, Bounding Home beat Pensive in the Belmont after finishing second to Lucky Draw in the Peter Pan, while in 1947 Phalanx captured the Belmont after finishing third behind Tailspin and. Bra-bancon in the shorter race. The last two winners of the Peter Pan, Ponder and Lights Up, finished second in the Belmont, beaten by Capot and Middleground, respectively. Battlefield was the 1950 juvenile champion with earnings of 98,677, victories in seven stakes including the Hopeful and Belmont Futurity and a record of never having been unplaced. The son of War Relic has been brought along with infinite patience by trainer Bert Mulholland this year. When Battlefield appeared to sulk while finishing second to Uncle Miltie in the sensationally fast Prospect Purse for his seasonal debut at Jamaica, he was promptly returned to the farm in Pennsylvania and was not seen under silks again until May 16, when he turned in a fine performance, though beaten by Jumbo in the Swift Stakes at seven furlongs. Battlefield then won an overnight race at six furlongs in l:10y5, merely galloping. His next, and most recent, start was in the Withers Mile, which he won narrowly from Jumbo/Though the final margin was only a head, Battlefield appeared to win very surely and Arcaro never touched him with his stick. Doubts of Colts Stamina A mile is the farthest distance Battlefield has been asked to travel and one frequently hears the opinion that he will not go a distance. Most of those doubting Battlefields stamina declare that he has a choppy action, but this alleged choppi-ness is not evident when the coitus in full stride. Incidentally, Count Turf, the Derby winner, is so choppy in his action when not in full stride that he appears lame. In his recent races, Battlefield has shown now sign of sulkiness, evidently enjoying his commuting program between Belmont Park and the farm and has shown no sign of "getting late" at the finish. Being inbred to Fair Play, or Fairy Gold, if you prefer to put it that way, he is eligible to go any reasonable distance. Tomorrows race should put an end to conjecture on this score, though a mile and a furlong is not of itself a convincing test. Eddie Arcaro, as usual, will be in the saddle. "Battle Morn has the best credentials of the eight opposing Battlefield, but has a very spotty record over two seasons. When good, as he was on two occasions at Hia-leah and in his recent race here at a mile, Battle Morn lias looked very good, indeed. His fast-finishing second in the Wood and his fourth, coming from last place, in the Derby Trial, .made Battle Morn the favorite for the "Run for the Roses." However, just as he had turned in a dull race in the Flamingo at Hialeah after an easy score at the same distance, the son of Blenheim n. was a disappointing favorite in the Derby. Immediately after the race, Arcaro, said that he had run up on the heels of Ruhe when racing through a dust cloud and almost fell on his head, but added that he "wasnt going to get anything, anyway." Battle Morn came out of the Derby with cuts on his legs, but responded to treatment and his recent mile here was a "big race." Eric Guerin has been assigned the mount tomorrow. Counterpoint finished a distant second behind Bold in the Preakness, then turned in a dull effort in the Withers. He was a distant eleventh in the Derby and, though training well, seems a rather forlorn hope here. Has Yet to Win This Year The same can be said of the Greentree pair. Big Stretch; who was rated the equal of Battlefield and two pounds below Uncle Miltie by John B. Campbell in his Experimental ratings, has yet to enter t|ie winners circle this year. The only time he was in the money was a second between Ruhe and Royal Mustang in a seven-furlong race at Keeneland, and the son of Eight Thirty has sulked both mornings and afternoons. By way of experiment, Conn McCreary will ride Big Stretch tomorrow, in the hope that he will run kindly for a waiting jockey. Should this experiment prove a success, it will have little bearing on the Belmont, as McCreary is committed to ride Count Turf in that fixture. Hall of Fame scored one impressive victory at Jamaica this spring, then was carried wide while racing well in the first division of the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. Though soundly beaten in the Derby and Preakness, he ran considerably better than Big Stretch and is capable of springing a surprise. Ted Atkinson will ride the Shut Out gelding, who is not eligible to the Belmont. 1The others in the Peter Pari have nothing but their light imposts to recommend them. Vulcania had speed for most of the mile and three furlongs of the Coaching Club American Oaks, then tired and finished fifth. Against the possibility of tomorrows shorter distance helping her is the fact that "the filly tired just as badly in the mile Acorn Stakes. Away Away is a stretch runner who occasionally comes up with a fine effort, but is reported to be suffering from most of the ills equine flesh is heir to, probably with little justification. The skies x are overcast at this writing, but most of the/Peter Pan candidates can negotiate a wet track. Big Stretch may be an exception, having been scratched from the Polynesian Purse, won by Count Fleet on Tuesday, because there was some water on the track. "Battle Morn and Battlefield, on the other hand, are helped, if anything, by soft footina.
