Chatterton was a
chestnut horse bred in Kentucky by
August Belmont II, who had also bred the great
Man o' War on the same cross of
Fair Play with a daughter of
Rock Sand. Fair Play was considered one of the best racehorses of his generation, though a step below the undefeated
Colin. He was even better as a sire, leading the American sire list in 1920, 1924 and 1927. In addition to Man o' War, Fair Play sired several other champions and/or important sires like
Display,
Chance Play and
Mad Hatter. Chatterton is a full brother to the notable broodmare Étoile Filante, whose family has produced multiple stakes winners such as
Grindstone and
Silverbulletday. During his racing career, Chatterton was owned by Frank Kelley and was trained by Charles Van Meter. ==Racing career==