Battleship (1927–1958) was an American
thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...
racehorse
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...
who is the only horse to have won both the
American Grand National and the
Grand National steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:
* Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles
* Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...
races.
Breeding
Battleship was bred by owner
Walter J. Salmon Sr.
Walter Joseph Salmon Sr. (1871 – December 25, 1953) was a New York City real estate investor and developer. According to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, Salmon was "responsible for rebuilding the north side of West 42n ...
at his
Mereworth Farm
Walter Joseph Salmon Sr. (1871 – December 25, 1953) was a New York City real estate investor and developer. According to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, Salmon was "responsible for rebuilding the north side of West 42n ...
in
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
. He was a "stocky chestnut"
by
Man o' War, and his dam, Quarantine, was by Sea Sick. He was a muscular but small horse who stood 15
hands
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each " ...
1 inch (1.55 m) high, leading him to be nicknamed the 'American Pony'.
Racing record
Battleship was initially trained for
flat racing. Competing for his owner through age four, he won ten of his twenty-two starts. An injury kept him out of competition for a year, and at the end of 1931 Walter Salmon sold Battleship to
Marion duPont Scott for $12,000. Scott was a
steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:
* Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles
* Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...
horse racing enthusiast who had earlier purchased a Salmon-owned half brother to Battleship. A member of the prominent and wealthy
Du Pont family
The du Pont family () or Du Pont family is a prominent American family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739–1817). It has been one of the richest families in the United States since the mid-19th century, when it founded its fo ...
of chemical manufacturing, Ms duPont had begun developing her
Montpelier estate, formerly the home of
James
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
and
Dolley Madison, near
Orange, Virginia, into what became one of the leading horse-training centers in the United States.
Ms. duPont had Battleship trained for steeplechase racing and entered his first competition in 1933. The horse showed promise, winning three of his four races that season. Then, in 1934, he won the
American Grand National, the most prestigious steeplechase race in the US. Gentleman jockey Carroll K. Bassett rode Battleship in most of his major U.S. victories. Bassett was also an accomplished artist and sculpted a small bronze bust of Battleship in 1934.
In July 1936, Ms. duPont shipped Battleship to England, where trainer Reginald "Reg" Hobbs began to prepare the horse, on the mend with a bowed
tendon
A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...
, for the 1937
Grand National. Battleship won several races in 1936 and 1937, including races at
Sandown,
Newbury and
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
but some critics remained unimpressed saying he "did not look like a stayer".
The
Sporting Life dwelt on his size, stating "he is too small to make appeal to me as a National horse ... he will be the smallest winner on record".
Hobbs himself convinced Scott that Battleship was not ready for the Grand National in March 1937. He was said to have "not trained on" and was withdrawn at the final acceptance stage.
He continued training and racing in England, winning five of his thirteen races and was entered into the 1938 Grand National. His competition in the 1938 race included
Royal Mail
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, logo = Royal Mail.svg
, logo_size = 250px
, type = Public limited company
, traded_as =
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, founder = Henry VIII
, location = London, England, UK
, key_people = * Keith Williams ...
, winner of the 1937 Grand National, Royal Danieli, and Workman. Battleship beat Royal Danieli to win the race in a photo finish, completing the race in 9 minutes, 27 seconds. He was ridden by
Bruce Hobbs
Bruce Robertson Hobbs (December 27, 1920 – November 22, 2005) was an English jockey and racehorse trainer.
Born on Long Island, New York, Hobbs became the youngest jockey ever to ride the winner of the English Grand National when successful o ...
, the seventeen-year-old son of trainer Reg Hobbs.
He was an unusual winner of the race in that he was
entire
Entire may refer to:
* Entire function, a function that is holomorphic on the whole complex plane
* Entire (animal), an indication that an animal is not neutered
* Entire (botany)
This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of ...
. The last entire winner had been Grudon in 1901
and none has won since.
In June 1938, Battleship returned to the U.S. aboard the ''Manhattan.'' Trainer Reg Hobbs and jockey Bruce Hobbs accompanied the champion horse on the transatlantic journey. Upon arriving in New York, Battleship was met at the dock by a crowd including New York mayor
Fiorello LaGuardia and actor
Randolph Scott
George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor whose career spanned the years from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of ...
, Marion duPont Scott's husband.
Stud record
Following his 1938 Grand National victory, Battleship retired to stand at
stud at duPont's Montpelier estate, Battleship sired only 58 foals. Notably, he sired War Battle and Shipboard, steeplechase champions in 1947 and 1956 respectively, plus
Sea Legs
''Sea Legs'' is an American musical with music by Michael H. Cleary and lyrics by Arthur Swanstrom. The musical book by Swanstrom is based on the play ''The Cat Came Back'' by Laurence E. Johnson, Beula King, and Avery Hopwood. Produced by Albe ...
, winner of the 1952 American Grand National. He also sired the stakes winners Cap-A-Pie, Eolus, Floating Isle, Mighty Mo, Navigate, Navy Gun, Tide Rips, and Westport Point.
Battleship
Retrieved 2011-1-20
Battleship died in 1958 at the age of 31 and his buried at Montpelier. In 1969, he was inducted into the United States' Racing Hall of Fame.
References
Other references
*
External links
Thoroughbred Heritage bio
Battleship's pedigree and racing stats
{{Authority control
1927 racehorse births
1958 racehorse deaths
American steeplechase racehorses
Grand National winners
National Hunt racehorses
Racehorses bred in Kentucky
Racehorses trained in the United States
Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom
United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees
Du Pont racehorses
Godolphin Arabian sire line
Thoroughbred family 10-e