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Battleship
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Bred in Kentucky
by Walter J. Salmon Sr. at his Mereworth Farm, Battleship raced for
his breeder through his three-year-old campaign. He was a winner at
two, and victorious in the James Rowe Memorial Handicap (7f. Bowie)
early in his three-year-old year. A starting gate injury put him out
of commission until the next year, when he won the Great Lakes Handicap
(8.5f. Hawthorne).
With flat total of
22 starts, 10 wins and $18,380 in earnings, Battleship was purchased
from Salmon for $12,000 by Mrs. Marion duPont Scott, who had previously
bought her first steeplechaser, another Man O'War son named Annapolis,
from Salmon earlier in the year. Battleship trained over fences as
a five-year-old and raced for DuPont as a six-year-old in 1932, winning
the Billy Barton Steeplechase and National Hunt Club Handicap. At
seven, he won the premier steeplechase event, the American Grand National
Steeplechase.
He was sent to England
as an eight-year-old in 1935 but was not raced again until the following
year. He started 18 times during the 1936-37 National Hunt season
in England, winning several minor events including the Lonsdale Handicap
Steeplechase of 1937. In 1938, he started five times, the highlight
of which was victory in the Aintree Grand National Steeplechase, making
his owner the first American ever to own an American-bred Grand National
winner. The win was hard fought, but he defeated Royal Danieli by
a short head in a desperate stretch run. This was his final season
racing, ending his flat and jump career with totals of 55 starts,
24 wins and earnings of $71,641. |
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 |  | | Top left: Sea Legs
Top right: Champion Shipboard
Left: Champion War Battle |
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Retired to stud at
DuPont's Montpelier Stud in Virginia, Battleship sired only 57 registered
foals in 15 crops, presumably due to lack of opportunity, being a
steeplechase sire. Of these few, 11 won stakes, which is an amazing
percentage of class from so few foals. Two of these, War Battle and
Shipboard, both geldings, were the champion steeplechasers of 1947
and 1956 respectively, the latter out of a mare by Annapolis, so inbred
2x3 to Man O'War. Battleship's other leading earners were Tide Rips
and Floating Isle. A promising gelded son, Sea Legs, looked to be on his way to a championship year in 1953, winning the International, Corinthian, and Meadow Brook Steeplechases, but broke down during the running of the Temple Gwathmey chase. Tide Rips stood at stud but sired nothing of importance,
and unfortunately, Battleship's daughters also did little as broodmares
to carry the name forward.
Battleship was a very
small horse, standing 15.2 hands, but resembled his sire Man O'War somewhat especially about the head, and was built on strong, muscular
lines, although looking more like a sprinter than a long distance
runner. Battleship died in 1958 at the age of 31 at Montpelier in
Virginia.
--Anne Peters
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