BackTrack: American-Bred Battleship Wins Grand National

England's Grand National Steeplechase always provides a good story for those who read the sports pages in America. But no previous Grand National ever provided American newspapers with such good copy as the 1938 renewal of the century-old test for jumpers.

Usually when an American owner sends an American horse to compete at Aintree the attempt seems a little wistful, for the United States does not turn out many horses with Grand National specifications. Ten years ago Howard Bruce's Billy Barton almost achieved the coveted victory, but the only other horse which finished the course defeated him. But last Friday, March 25, the winner of the Grand National was the American-bred Battleship, foaled at Walter J. Salmon's Mereworth Stud at Lexington; the winning owner was Mrs. Marion Scott, one of the best known of American sportswomen; and even the winning jockey, the sensational 17-year-old Bruce Hobbs, was born in America. Further, Battleship is a son of Man o' War—the most famous name connected with the American Turf.

Battleship, though he had been a good stakes winner on the flat in America and had proved himself one of the best jumpers of recent years on this side of the Atlantic, got scant consideration for the Grand National. He stood only about 15 hands and two inches tall and had the strong, stocky conformation of a good sprinter. Horses of that type are in utter contrast to the big, rangy leppers which win the National. But Battleship won, under 160 pounds (only four horses in the field of 36 carried more), beating out H. C. McNally's Irish-bred Royal Danieli (157) in one of the most thrilling finishes in the history of the great race.

Rain fell intermittently on the morning of Grand National day, and the weather was cold and disagreeable, but the crowd as usual was too enormous to estimate accurately. Estimates placed it at 250,000 and higher. The course had been moderately dry and hard, and the rain did not soften it to any great extent. This worked out to the advantage of Battleship, whose record in America indicated that he is at a disadvantage in soft going. Some time before the race the rain ceased and the sun came out brilliantly. 

Of the 36 horses which went to the post for the run of about four miles and 856 yards, including a fearsome series of 30 jumps, 23 failed to finish. First elimination was Frank M. Gould's restive What Have You, American-bred and -owned; he refused to break with the field. The others went away evenly for the first swing around the great irregular pentagon. The first two jumps took three more, Pontet (161), Prominent Lad, and Hurdy Gurdy Man. Sir Francis Towle's Airgead Sios (168) led as the field reached Becher's Brook, the sixth jump, at the end of the straight-away which makes the longest side of the pentagon. Close behind him was Royal Danieli, at 18 to 1 one of the choices in the betting. Most of the other well played horses were well back. Battleship was close up, about fifth. Airgead Sios got over the five-foot thorn fence which comes after Becher's then negotiated the difficult Canal Turn and Valentine's Brook, but went down at the next jump, an obstacle which caused so much trouble in Golden Miller's life. As the field headed back toward the stands after the Canal Turn an American-owned favorite, J. B. Snow's Delachance (149), ridden by J. Maloney, began to move forward, and by the time the sixteenth jump, the liverpool in front of the stands, was reached, he was in front, with Lough Cottage lapped to him. Immediately behind him were Royal Danieli, E. T. Hunt's Red Knight II, and Battleship, which was about four lengths clear of the others. At this jump the one Canadian-owned starter, the Kentucky-bred Rock Lad, owned by H. R. Bain, of Toronto, fell and broke his back, dying almost immediately.

Sixteen horses remained as the field swung sharply to the left for the second time round. Among these was Mrs. Camille Evans' Royal Mail, winner of the National in 1937 and one of the most heavily backed starters for this year's renewal, purchased recently by Mrs. Evans for 6,500 guineas from the estate of Hugh Lloyd Thomas. Royal Mail was the first to drop out on the second circuit. He broke a blood vessel, was pulled up by Evan Williams. Young Hobbs settled down to ask Battleship for his best, and by the time the spectacular Becher's Brook jump was passed he had taken the lead from Royal Danieli, Delachance having dropped back slightly. The little chestnut stallion lost the lead again to the Irish gelding as they went to the Canal Turn, and at the next jump after Valentine's he was passed by Workman. It looked as if the son of Man o' War had been beaten, but Hobbs apparently was giving him a slight "breather" against the final struggle.

Two fences from home Royal Danieli was about a length ahead of Workman, and Battleship was just behind them, coming again. Workman suddenly weakened, began to drop back badly, and the little American horse went up to challenge again. Royal Danieli led slightly as they went over the last jump, but in the run-in he was against a desperate adversary. Battleship gained inch by inch, and they went over the finish so closely locked that few knew the result before the judges announced it. Battleship's margin was variously estimated at a nose, a head, and a neck. Ten lengths back in third place was Workman, and five lengths behind him James B. Rank's good mare Cooleen (162). The order of the others which finished was Delachance, Red Knight II, Blue Shirt, Hopeful Hero, Underbid, Bachelor Prince, Lough Cottage, Provocative, Drim. As is frequently the case in the National, a riderless horse had preceded the winner across the finish line.

Besides What Have You, other American-owned horses which failed to finish were Robert Lehman's Didoric and Mrs. Jesse Metcalf's K. D. H.

Battleship's time was 9:29 4/5. The National record is 9:20 2/5, set by Golden Miller in 1934, but only two other winners have covered the course faster than Battleship.

Mrs. Scott who arrived at the course only about an hour before the race, is the second American woman to own a National winner in six years, Mrs. F. Ambrose Clark having won in 1933 with Kellsboro' Jack. It was her second attempt to win the big Aintree race. In 1933 the late Noel Laing rode Trouble Maker for Mrs. Scott (then Mrs. Thomas H. Somerville), brought him home in fifteenth place. Mrs. Scott, whose maiden name was Marion du Pont, is a sister to William F. du Pont, Jr., owner of Foxcatcher Farms and builder of Delaware Park. Her present husband, Randolph Scott, is a well known movie actor. The two were sweethearts in their 'teens. Mrs. Scott's principal sporting interest lies in the development of hunting stock and steeplechasers. In Orange County, Virginia, she owns a 3,000-acre estate, Montpelier, homestead of James Madison, the fourth President. The farm was purchased by the du Pont family in 1900, was used by Mrs. Scott's father to conduct the world's largest breeding establishment for hackneys.

Reginald Hobbs, who led in the National winner in the place of Mrs. Scott, is one of the best known English trainers of jumpers. For several years he handled the horses of Mr. and Mrs. F. Ambrose Clark in America, and his son, the sensational young rider, Bruce Hobbs, was born on Long Island 17 years ago. He trains the horses of Mr. and Mrs. Clark in England, also has Sir Abe Bailey among his clients. His son the youngest rider ever to win the National, began his professional career at the age of 15, was immediately acclaimed one of the brightest prospects ever seen in English National Hunt racing.

Battleship is not the first Grand National winner owned by an American, but the fourth, his predecessors being Stephen (Laddie) Sandford's Sergeant Murphy, in 1923; A. C. Schwartz's Jack Horner, in 1926; and Mrs. F. Ambrose Clark's Kellsboro' Jack, in 1933. He is not the first American-bred winner, for Rubio, bred by James B. Haggin in California, won the Aintree race an even three decades ago, in 1908, under the colors of Douglas Pennant, who had bought him out of Mr. Haggin's yearling sale at Newmarket in July, 1899, for 15 guineas, or about $80. (Two other American-bred horses finished second, The Bore in 1921, Billy Barton is 1928). But Battleship is the first Grand National winner both American-owned and American-bred.

Battleship is the first entire horse to win the Grand National since 1901, when Grudon was first. Geldings have won all the intervening renewals, except that one mare, Shannon Lass, scored, in 1902. Battleship is probably the oldest stallion which has ever won the National, though it is difficult to check the ages of some of the earlier winners. The entire horses which have won the race number 13. They are Wanderer (1856), Freetrader (1856), Half Caste (1859), Huntsman (1862), Alcibiade (1865), The Lamb (1868 and 1871), The Colonel (1869 and 1870), Disturbance (1873), Reugny (1874), Austerlitz (1877), Shifnal (1878), Grudon (1901), and Battleship. (Lutteur III, winner in 1909, is sometimes given as an entire horse, but this is apparently an error.)

In some quarters it is believed that a horse running in the Grand National for the first time is at a disadvantage against his more experienced opposition, but the facts hardly bear out the contention. Counting from 1839 as the inaugural of the famous fixture (last year, for the purposes of celebrating the centennial, the 1837 date was taken), this year's running was the hundredth, and Battleship was the fifty-fourth winner which was running the National for the first time.