Battleship: A Daring Heiress, a Teenage Jockey, and America's Horse
The heiress of the subtitle was Marion du Pont, a steeplechase enthusiast. The teenage jockey was 17-year-old Bruce Hobbs, son of a trainer. And America’s horse was Battleship, born of Man o’ War, a small but strong Thoroughbred who became, in 1938, the first American horse to win the English Grand National steeplechase (which had been running, except for a brief break in WWI, since 1839). Although the book is titled after the horse, it’s really the story of Marion, a woman who so dedicated herself to Battleship that she nearly left everything else in her life behind, and of Bruce, who became the Grand National’s youngest winner and whose riding career was cut short a handful of years later. Author Ours, who also wrote Man o’ War (2006), clearly has a deep appreciation for racehorses, their riders, and the people who build their lives around them. Perfect for fans of Lauren Hillenbrand’s Seabiscuit (2001) or Bill Nack’s Secretariat (1975). --David Pitt