When Battlefield was offered for sale as a yearling, some potential buyers shied away from him because of his pedigree. Inbred 3x3 to the cantankerous Fair Play via the difficult and sometimes downright dangerous War Relic and the tough-as-nails, ultra-dominant Display—and with two fourth-generation crosses of the extremely high-strung Rock Sand via his sire to boot—Battlefield was not exactly bred for a placid or even sensible disposition. He was also on the small side and generally unimpressive. By paying US$4,500 for him, George D. Widener got one of the great bargains of the year, as Battlefield earned over 100 times as much during his racing career. He was a much better racer than sire but made a mark on the breed by siring 1969 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year All Beautiful. He is also the maternal grandsire of the important broodmare Patelin.
Race record
44 starts, 22 wins, 14 seconds, 2 thirds, US$474,727
1950:
1951:
1952:
1953:
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.
Notable progeny
All Beautiful (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Arts and Letters (USA)
Connections
Battlefield was bred by John A. Bell Jr. and was owned by George Widener, who bought the colt for US$4,500 from the 1949 Saratoga yearling sales. He was trained by Bert Mulholland.
Pedigree notes
Battlefield is inbred 3x3 to three-time American champion sire Fair Play and 4x4x4 to the notable foundation mare Fairy Gold. He is a full brother to Incarnation, dam of 1962 Arlington Matron Handicap winner Kootenai (by Royal Vale), second dam of Grade 2 winner Full O Wisdom, and third dam of Grade 3 winner Sans Arc. He is also a half brother to Solar Display (by Sun Again), dam of 1958 Breeders’ Stakes winner Dr. Em Jay (by Chop Chop), multiple Canadian stakes winner Men At Play (by Ménétrier), and juvenile stakes winners Solar Park and Solometeor (both by Victoria Park); second dam of 1970 Canadian Oaks winner South Ocean and Grade 3 winner Naughty Jimmy; and third dam of two-time Canadian champion Northernette, 1980 English and Irish champion 2-year-old male and important sire Storm Bird, and Grade/Group 3 winners Polemic, R. D. Wild Whirl, and Tralos.
Battlefield and his siblings are out of Dark Display, who ran seven times unplaced as a juvenile before wrenching a shoulder and being retired to the paddocks. She is a full sister to Dark Sissy, second dam of 1972 Mexican champion 3-year-old male Let’s Al. She is also a half sister to 1942 Gallant Fox Handicap winner Dark Discovery (by Display’s champion son Discovery), dam of stakes winner Hull Down (by Count Fleet) and third dam of 1970 Queen’s Plate and Prince of Wales Stakes winner Almoner.
The next dam in Battlefield’s tail-female line is the winning Traumer mare Dark Loveliness, whose stakes-placed full sister Dark Love is the dam of stakes winner Sun Lover (by Sun Beau). The sisters are out of the Sun Briar mare Sunny Love, whose dam Lovelight II (by St. Amant) was imported to the United States in 1917 by Willis Sharpe Kilmer.
Fun facts
Photo credit
Photographer unknown. Taken in the winner's circle following the 1951 Travers Stakes. From the private collection of Dale Wyatt; used by permission.
Last updated: February 11, 2022
Race record
44 starts, 22 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.
Notable progeny
All Beautiful (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Arts and Letters (USA)
Connections
Battlefield was bred by John A. Bell Jr. and was owned by George Widener, who bought the colt for US$4,500 from the 1949 Saratoga yearling sales. He was trained by Bert Mulholland.
Pedigree notes
Battlefield is inbred 3x3 to three-time American champion sire Fair Play and 4x4x4 to the notable foundation mare Fairy Gold. He is a full brother to Incarnation, dam of 1962 Arlington Matron Handicap winner Kootenai (by Royal Vale), second dam of Grade 2 winner Full O Wisdom, and third dam of Grade 3 winner Sans Arc. He is also a half brother to Solar Display (by Sun Again), dam of 1958 Breeders’ Stakes winner Dr. Em Jay (by Chop Chop), multiple Canadian stakes winner Men At Play (by Ménétrier), and juvenile stakes winners Solar Park and Solometeor (both by Victoria Park); second dam of 1970 Canadian Oaks winner South Ocean and Grade 3 winner Naughty Jimmy; and third dam of two-time Canadian champion Northernette, 1980 English and Irish champion 2-year-old male and important sire Storm Bird, and Grade/Group 3 winners Polemic, R. D. Wild Whirl, and Tralos.
Battlefield and his siblings are out of Dark Display, who ran seven times unplaced as a juvenile before wrenching a shoulder and being retired to the paddocks. She is a full sister to Dark Sissy, second dam of 1972 Mexican champion 3-year-old male Let’s Al. She is also a half sister to 1942 Gallant Fox Handicap winner Dark Discovery (by Display’s champion son Discovery), dam of stakes winner Hull Down (by Count Fleet) and third dam of 1970 Queen’s Plate and Prince of Wales Stakes winner Almoner.
The next dam in Battlefield’s tail-female line is the winning Traumer mare Dark Loveliness, whose stakes-placed full sister Dark Love is the dam of stakes winner Sun Lover (by Sun Beau). The sisters are out of the Sun Briar mare Sunny Love, whose dam Lovelight II (by St. Amant) was imported to the United States in 1917 by Willis Sharpe Kilmer.
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 US$198,677 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.
Photo credit
Photographer unknown. Taken in the winner's circle following the 1951 Travers Stakes. From the private collection of Dale Wyatt; used by permission.
Last updated: February 11, 2022