| Battleship | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sire | Man o' War |
| Grandsire | Fair Play |
| Dam | Quarantine |
| Damsire | Sea Sick |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1927 |
| Country | United States |
| Color | Chestnut |
| Breeder | Walter J. Salmon Sr. |
| Owner | Walter J. Salmon Sr. Marion duPont Scott (from end of 1931) |
| Trainer | Jack Pryce 1929-1931 (U.S.flat racing) S.L. Burch 1932-1936 (U.S. over fences) Reg Hobbs from 1936steeplechase racing |
| Record | 55: 24-6-4 |
| Earnings | $71,641 |
| Major wins | |
| James Rowe Memorial Handicap (1930) American Grand National (1934) Grand National (1938) | |
| Honors | |
| United States' Racing Hall of Fame (1969) | |
| Last updated on 20 January 2011 | |
Battleship (1927–1958) was an Americanthoroughbredracehorse who is the only horse to have won both theAmerican Grand National and theGrand Nationalsteeplechase races.
Battleship was bred by ownerWalter J. Salmon Sr. at hisMereworth Farm inLexington, Kentucky. He was a "stocky chestnut"[1] byMan o' War, and his dam, Quarantine, was by Sea Sick. He was a muscular but small horse who stood 15hands 1 inch (1.55 m) high, leading him to be nicknamed the 'American Pony'.[2]
Battleship was initially trained forflat 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 toMarion duPont Scott for $12,000. Scott was asteeplechase horse racing enthusiast who had earlier purchased a Salmon-owned half brother to Battleship. A member of the prominent and wealthyDu Pont family of chemical manufacturing, Ms duPont had begun developing herMontpelier estate, formerly the home ofJames andDolley Madison, nearOrange, 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 theAmerican 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 bowedtendon, for the 1937Grand National. Battleship won several races in 1936 and 1937, including races atSandown,Newbury andLeicester but some critics remained unimpressed saying he "did not look like a stayer".[1] TheSporting 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".[1]
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.[1] 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 includedRoyal Mail, 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 byBruce Hobbs, the seventeen-year-old son of trainer Reg Hobbs.[2] He was an unusual winner of the race in that he wasentire. The last entire winner had been Grudon in 1901[1]and none has won since.[3]
In June 1938, Battleship returned to the U.S. aboard theManhattan. 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 mayorFiorello LaGuardia and actorRandolph Scott, Marion duPont Scott's husband.[4]
Following his 1938 Grand National victory, Battleship retired to stand atstud at duPont's Montpelier estate, Battleship sired only 58 foals. Notably, he sired War Battle and Shipboard, steeplechase champions in 1947 and 1956 respectively, plusSea Legs, 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.[5]
Battleship died in 1958 at the age of 31 and his buried at Montpelier. In 1969, he was inducted into theUnited States' Racing Hall of Fame.[6]
