Granville (horse)
Encyclopedia
Granville was an American
Hall of Fame
Thoroughbred
racehorse
. Owned and bred by prominent horseman William Woodward, Sr.
at his Belair Stud
in Bowie, Maryland
, Granville was sired by U.S. Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox
and out of the mare Gravita.
, Granville was unimpressive. He won only one of seven starts with his most noteworthy finish in a major race coming in the Champagne Stakes in which he finished third.
, Granville finished a strong second to Teufel
in the Wood Memorial Stakes
. In the Derby, won by Bold Venture
, shortly after the start Granville threw jockey James Stout
and as such finished last in the fourteen-horse field. However, he then embarked on what would be a brilliant three-year-old campaign with a second place finish by a nose to Bold Venture in the Preakness Stakes
then won the Belmont Stakes
. Granville went on to win the 1936 Arlington Classic
at 1¼ miles plus much longer races such as the 1⅝ mile Lawrence Realization Stakes
and he defeated the great Discovery
by eight lengths in the 1¾ mile Saratoga Cup.
Retired from racing after an ankle injury, Granville finished the year with seven wins and three seconds in his eleven starts and was voted U.S. Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt
and the most prestigious honor in American Thoroughbred racing, Horse of the Year
. Sent to horse breeding
duty at his owners stud farm, Granville was less than successful as a sire with his last issue foaled in 1949.
In 1997, Granville was inducted in the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
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...
. Owned and bred by prominent horseman William Woodward, Sr.
William Woodward, Sr.
William Woodward, Sr. was an American banker and major owner and breeder in thoroughbred horse racing.-Background:...
at his Belair Stud
Belair Stud
Belair Stud was an American thoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding farm founded by Provincial Governor of Maryland, Samuel Ogle in 1747 in Collington, Prince Georges County, Maryland in Colonial America.-Colonial Period:...
in Bowie, Maryland
Bowie, Maryland
Bowie is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 54,727 at the 2010 census. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous city and third largest city by area in the state of...
, Granville was sired by U.S. Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox
Gallant Fox
Gallant Fox was a United States Thoroughbred horseracing champion.Foaled at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky by Sir Gallahad III out of the mare Marguerite, Gallant Fox was a bay colt who became the second horse to win the U.S...
and out of the mare Gravita.
Two year-old season
Racing at age two under future Hall of Fame trainer Sunny Jim FitzsimmonsSunny Jim Fitzsimmons
James Edward Fitzsimmons was a thoroughbred racehorse trainer.Born in Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, New York, Fitzsimmons began his career in 1885 working at a racetrack as a stable boy. After nearly ten less-than-successful years as a thoroughbred jockey, he became too heavy for that job and took...
, Granville was unimpressive. He won only one of seven starts with his most noteworthy finish in a major race coming in the Champagne Stakes in which he finished third.
Three year-old season
The following year, in the run-up to the 1936 Kentucky DerbyKentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
, Granville finished a strong second to Teufel
Teufel
Teufel is a German-language surname.Those bearing it include:*Erwin Teufel, German Christian Democratic Union politician and former minister-president of Baden-Württemberg*Fritz Teufel, late German 60's revolutionary and "Fun Guerilla"...
in the Wood Memorial Stakes
Wood Memorial Stakes
The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, New York. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt....
. In the Derby, won by Bold Venture
Bold Venture (horse)
Bold Venture , was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.He was sired by the multiple British stakes winner, St Germans, who, after his importation to stand at Greentree Stud in Lexington, Ky., became the leading sire of 1931 when his son Twenty Grand...
, shortly after the start Granville threw jockey James Stout
James Stout
James Stout was an American Hall of Fame thoroughbred horse racing jockey.Known as "Jimmy," he began working at a racetrack as a stable boy then in 1930 became a professional jockey. Stout became most famous riding for Belair Stud and trainer Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons. He rode Seabiscuit in his first...
and as such finished last in the fourteen-horse field. However, he then embarked on what would be a brilliant three-year-old campaign with a second place finish by a nose to Bold Venture in the Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
then won the Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
. Granville went on to win the 1936 Arlington Classic
Arlington Classic
The Arlington Classic Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-old horses held annually at the end of June at Arlington Park race track near Chicago, Illinois...
at 1¼ miles plus much longer races such as the 1⅝ mile Lawrence Realization Stakes
Lawrence Realization Stakes
The Lawrence Realization Stakes was an American horse race first run on the turf in 1889. The race, for three-year-old Thoroughbred colts, geldings and fillies, was last run in 2005.-History:...
and he defeated the great Discovery
Discovery (horse)
Discovery was an American Thoroughbred racehorse about whom the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame said: "...considered one of the greatest horses of the 20th century."...
by eight lengths in the 1¾ mile Saratoga Cup.
Retired from racing after an ankle injury, Granville finished the year with seven wins and three seconds in his eleven starts and was voted U.S. Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt
Eclipse Award for Outstanding 3-Year-Old Male Horse
The American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971....
and the most prestigious honor in American Thoroughbred racing, Horse of the Year
Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....
. Sent to horse breeding
Horse 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...
duty at his owners stud farm, Granville was less than successful as a sire with his last issue foaled in 1949.
In 1997, Granville was inducted in the United States' National Museum of Racing and 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...
.