Spanish Battleship
| Species | Dog |
|---|---|
| Breed | Greyhound |
| Sex | Male |
| Born |
August 1951 Killorglin, County Kerry, Ireland |
| Nation from | Ireland |
| Occupation | Racing greyhound |
| Years active | 1953–1955 |
| Known for | 3 × winner of the Irish Greyhound Derby |
| Owner | Tim 'Chubb' O'Connor |
| Parents | Spanish Chestnut (sire) Ballyseedy Memory(dam) |
| Appearance | Fawn - Brindle markings |
Spanish Battleship was a male fawn - brindle greyhound. He is celebrated as one of Ireland's greatest racing greyhounds.
Spanish Battleship was whelped in August 1951 as part of a litter of seven. His owner Tim 'Chubb' O'Connor had leased a bitch called Ballyseedy Memory from breeder Tadgh Drummond so that he could mate her with Spanish Chestnut (the half brother of 1949 Irish Greyhound Derby champion Spanish Lad). After the litter was born he was reared by Sheila O’Connor, sister of Chubb O'Connor.
He was entered for the 1953 St Leger at Limerick but after winning a heat he failed to progress from the second round. O'Connor felt that he had gone well enough and phoned trainer Tom Lynch in Dublin and asked him to train the dog for forthcoming 1953 Irish Greyhound Derby. The Derby was due to be held at Harolds Cross where regular racegoers had already seen Spanish Battleship perform well there. He won the competition and was well on his way to becoming the greatest greyhound in the history of Irish racing. Next he was to take part in three competitions the Laurels, the McCalmont Cup and McAlinden Cup and remarkably he won every single qualifier (nine races in all) but on all three occasions when he lined up in the finals he was to fail at the final hurdle. However it was considered a very successful year for the greyhound.
Spanish Battleship claimed the Tostal Cup at Harolds Cross and Easter Cup at Shelbourne Park before an injury curtailed his efforts in the Callanan Cup final and connections worried that the dog would not be fit in time to defend his Irish Derby title. The Irish Derby was taking place at Shelbourne Park and the good news was that Spanish Battleship was fit to defend his crown and would be hot favourite based on his current form. Leafy Ash who had finished second in the 1954 English Greyhound Derby recorded 29.93 in a first night, first round heat to set the bar. The following evening Spanish Battleship broke the track record with a remarkable 28.50 run, leading to the Irish press stating that it was a foregone conclusion for the dog to win again. After a second round win he equalled his own track record in the semi-finals. The final looked like a formality and so it proved as Spanish Battleship wrote his name into the history books as the first ever two time Irish Derby winner. Despite missing his break in the decider he showed enough of that renowned early pace to win by three lengths in 29.64.
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Wikipedia