Battlefield Faces Seven in Shevlin: Widener Colt Takes Up 123, Giving from Seven to Eleven Pounds to Aqueduct Rivals, Daily Racing Form, 1951-06-30

article


view raw text

► — _ Battlefield Faces Seven in Shevlin Widener Colt Takes Up 123, Giving From Seven to Eleven Pounds to Aqueduct Rivals By BOB HORWOOD Staff Correspondent AQUEDUCT, L. I., N. Y., June 29.— George D. Wideners Battlefield heads a field of eight three-year-olds in tomorrows twenty-fourth running of the Shevlin Stakes at a mile and a sixteenth. The consistent son of War Relic, who has not been out of the money in two seasons and never worse than second this year, will carry the moderate topweight of 123 pounds, conceding seven pounds to Greentree Stables Big Stretch and 11 to the other six in the Shevlin. Ovie Scurlock, perhaps the steadiest of the eastern riders, will ride Battlefield, replacing Eddie Arcaro, who will be astride the crack filly, How, at Delaware Park. After winning the Withers Mile from Jumbo, Battlefield finished second to Counterpoint in the Peter Pan Handicap at a mile and a furlong and in the Belmont Stakes at a mile and a half. In the latter race, the chestnut colt swerved toward the rail in the stretch, causing some speculation regarding his soundness. These doubts were fed when Battlefields name failed to appear in the work tabs for the past two weeks. Actually, he has been galloping at the usual morning hour and has breezed in the afternoon after the work-watchers left Belmont Park for the racing at Aqueduct and trainer Bert Mulholland seems well satisfied with his condition. Others in Line-Up The opposition tomorrow, besides Big Stretch, who has been a complete disappointment this year, are Hampton Stables Alerted, Frank A. Bonsais Mully S., Maine Chance Farms Colony Date, Phantom Farms Father Tiber, A. H. Warners Lori-dale and A. F. Walls Golden Trend, who carry 112 each. Big Stretch, who will be ridden by Ted Atkinson at 116 pounds, was rated equal with Battlefield at the end of the 1950 season, just below Uncle Miltie in the Experimental Handicap. This year, the colt has refused to extend himself in all of his races and many of his private trials. Recently, the son of Eight Thirty was turned over to Jack Skinner for schooling over hurdles, not with the idea of competing in such races, but in the hope that the change of Continued on Page Forty-Three ! I ; I 1 1 I i i j 1 I 1 i 1 1 i i 1 1 1 1 i i 1 * 1 1 1 * 1 1 r. e J s r s 5 A I c Battlefield Faces Seven In Shevlin at Aqueduct Widener Colt Carries 123, Giving Foes From Seven to Eleven Pounds Continued from Page One venue would sweeten his disposition. There are indications that this plan has had some success. As a juvenile, Big Stretch didnt decide to run until late in the year, when he finished inches behind Battlefield in the Belmont Futurity and won the Breeders and Pimlico Futurities. Alerted and Mully S. finished second and third, far behind Hall of Fame in last weeks Kent Stakes at Delaware Park and were shipped to Long Island for this en- gagement. Alerted has many good races to his credit this year, though not quite good enough, and will be ridden by Earl Gross. Mully S. is an improving colt whose class is still suspect. He will be guided by Nick Shuk. The chief threat to Battlefield tomorrow may be Loridale, who won a string of races in New England, then turned in a smashing score at Belmont Park on June 13. He was scratched from last weeks Kent. In his Belmont Park victory, Loridale merely galloped a mile and a sixteenth in 1:43%, just a fifth of a second slower than the track record, with 122 pounds up, 10 more than he must carry tomorrow. He is a nervous colt in the morning and almost ran away with his exercise boy at Jamaica this morning before being given his final three-furlong blowout. Bill Fisk will be in the saddle. Of the others, Colony Date was a distant second behind Loridale at Belmont, then was beaten by Mandingo in a mile race on June 16. He is not expected to start unless the track is muddy. Father Tiber and Golden Trend appear outclassed. Johnny McDowell is coming down from New England to saddle Alerted tomorrow. This colt has a new trainer with almost every start. Tomorrows supporting feature is the Juniper Valley Purse at seven furlongs and also for three-year-olds. Mrs. Wallace Gil-roys Timely Reward, a disappointment since his close second in the Flamingo Stakes at Hialeah; C. V. Whitneys The Veep, Mrs. Frank Frankels Fluid Gold and Brookmeade Stables Addax seem the best of this band.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1951063001/drf1951063001_1_6
Local Identifier: drf1951063001_1_6
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800