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Battleship (horse)
Encyclopedia
Battleship was an American
Thoroughbred
Racehorse
who was the only horse in history to win both the American Grand National and the English Grand National
steeplechase races
.
. Battleship was by the great Man o' War
, and his dam, Quarantine, was by Sea Sick. He was a muscular but very small horse who stood just 15 hands
1 inch (1.55 m) high, leading him to be nicknamed the American Pony.
. 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. She was a steeplechase horse racing enthusiast who had earlier purchased a Salmon-owned half brother to Battleship. A member of the prominent and wealthy Du Pont family
of chemical manufacturing, Ms duPont had begun developing her Montpelier
estate 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.
In 1935, Ms duPont shipped Battleship to England, where he was treated for a bowed tendon. Reginald Hobbs became his new trainer, but he was not raced there until 1936, when he won one of five starts. In 1937, he improved enough to win five of his thirteen races. In 1938, the 11-year-old became the first American-bred horse to ever win England's most prestigious steeplechase event, the Grand National
. He remains the smallest horse ever to win the Grand National and the last entire
horse to win it. He was ridden by the youngest Grand National winning-jockey, Bruce Hobbs
, a 6 ft 3in (1.9 m), 17-year-old son of the trainer.
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, 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 died in 1958 at the age of 31. In 1969, he was inducted into the United States' Racing Hall of Fame
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Thoroughbred
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...
Racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
who was the only horse in history to win both the American Grand National and the English Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
steeplechase races
Steeplechase (horse racing)
The steeplechase is a form of horse racing and derives its name from early races in which orientation of the course was by reference to a church steeple, jumping fences and ditches and generally traversing the many intervening obstacles in the countryside...
.
Breeding
He was bred by owner Walter J. Salmon, Sr. at his Mereworth Farm in Lexington, KentuckyLexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. Battleship was by the great Man o' War
Man O' War (horse)
Man o' War, is considered one of the greatest Thoroughbred racehorses of all time. During his career just after World War I, he won 20 of 21 races and $249,465 in purses....
, and his dam, Quarantine, was by Sea Sick. He was a muscular but very small horse who stood just 15 hands
Hand (unit)
The hand is a non-SI unit of measurement of length, now used only for the measurement of the height of horses in some English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA. With origins in ancient Egypt, it was originally based on the breadth of a human hand...
1 inch (1.55 m) high, leading him to be nicknamed the American Pony.
Racing record
Battleship was initially trained for flat racingFlat racing
Flat racing is a form of Thoroughbred horse racing which is run over a level track at a predetermined distance. It differs from steeplechase racing which is run over hurdles...
. 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. She was a steeplechase horse racing enthusiast who had earlier purchased a Salmon-owned half brother to Battleship. A member of the prominent and wealthy Du Pont family
Du Pont family
The Du Pont family is an American family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours . The son of a Paris watchmaker and a member of a Burgundian noble family, he and his sons, Victor Marie du Pont and Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, emigrated to the United States in 1800 and used the resources of...
of chemical manufacturing, Ms duPont had begun developing her Montpelier
Montpelier (James Madison)
Montpelier was a large tobacco plantation and estate of the prominent Madison family of Virginia planters, including James Madison, fourth President of the United States. The manor house of Montpelier is four miles south of Orange, Virginia, and the estate currently covers some...
estate near Orange, Virginia
Orange, Virginia
Orange is a town in Orange County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,721 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Orange County...
, 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.
In 1935, Ms duPont shipped Battleship to England, where he was treated for a bowed tendon. Reginald Hobbs became his new trainer, but he was not raced there until 1936, when he won one of five starts. In 1937, he improved enough to win five of his thirteen races. In 1938, the 11-year-old became the first American-bred horse to ever win England's most prestigious steeplechase event, the Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
. He remains the smallest horse ever to win the Grand National and the last entire
Entire (animal)
In animal fancy and animal husbandry, entire indicates an animal has not been desexed, i.e., spayed or neutered ....
horse to win it. He was ridden by the youngest Grand National winning-jockey, Bruce Hobbs
Bruce Hobbs
Bruce Robertson Hobbs was an American jockey and horse trainer.Born on Long Island, New York, Hobbs became the youngest jockey ever to ride the winner of the English Grand National when successful on Battleship, a son of Man o' War, in 1938 just three months after his 17th birthday...
, a 6 ft 3in (1.9 m), 17-year-old son of the trainer.
Stud record
Retired to stand at studHorse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
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, 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 died in 1958 at the age of 31. In 1969, he was inducted into the United States' Racing Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
.