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Sceptre (horse)
Encyclopedia
Sceptre was a British-bred and British-trained Thoroughbred
racemare
whose career ran from 1901 to 1904. In 1902 she became the only racehorse to win four British Classic Races outright.
at his Eaton Stud in Cheshire
and was foaled on 9 April 1899. Her sire, Persimmon
, had won the Epsom Derby
and St. Leger
in 1896 and the Eclipse Stakes
and Ascot Gold Cup
in 1897. Sceptre's dam, Ornament, was sired by the Duke of Westminster's Bend Or
and was herself a full sister to the Triple Crown
winner, Ormonde.
, wanted the 2nd Duke
to buy him but he was outbid by Robert Sievier who bought her for 10,000 guineas
. Sceptre was not only an outstandingly good filly
, she was also an extremely hardy one. Sievier who trained her himself for most of her three-year-old season, was in almost constant need for funds and betting on Sceptre was one way to keep himself afloat. He ran Sceptre in a number of major races, particularly as a three-year-old, before finally selling her at the age of four.
. She ran three times at two, winning the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom
and the July Stakes
at Newmarket
before being beaten in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster Racecourse
. At the end of the season Morton became private trainer to Jack Joel and Sievier decided to train his own horses at a yard at Shrewton
in Wiltshire
which he leased from John Porter.
with Sievier backing her to win £30,000. She carried 6 stone
7 pounds (41.5 kilograms) but was beaten by a head. She then went to Newmarket
and won both the 2,000 Guineas, in a then record time of 1 minute 39 seconds and then two days later 1,000 Guineas. Her next target was the Derby
but she bruised a foot ten days before the days and finished fourth behind Ard Patrick
after being left at the start. Two days later she came out and won the Epsom Oaks
. Despite this busy programme Sieiver then ran her in the Grand Prix de Paris
, where she was unplaced and then twice at Royal Ascot, where she was fourth in the Coronation Stakes
and won St. James's Palace Stakes
. Sceptre also ran twice at Glorious Goodwood
where she was beaten in the Sussex Stakes
on the opening day but won the Nassau Stakes
three days later after being galloped on the intervening two days. At the autumn meeting at Doncaster she won her fourth classic, the St. Leger
but Sieiver than ran her again two days later over the same course and distance in the Park Hill Stakes
, in which she was beaten. At the end of the season, Sievier sent Sceptre to auction to raise money but she failed to reach her reserve price.
who sent her to Manton to be trained by Alec Taylor, Jr.
. She won the Hardwicke Stakes
at Royal Ascot before losing by a neck to Ard Patrick in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park with the 1903 Derby winner Rock Sand behind her in third. Sceptre won all her four remaining races in 1903, taking the Jockey Club Stakes
, Duke of York Stakes, Champion Stakes
and Limekiln Stakes. In her final season, 1904, she raced only three times but was placed in all three, finishing second in the Coronation Cup
, and third in the Hardwicke Stakes and Ascot Gold Cup
. She retired with 13 victories to her name, worth over £38,000.
family, John Musker and finally Lord Glanely
. She produced eight foals (one colt and seven fillies), and although none of her offspring were anywhere near as good as she was, four of her daughters won races. One of them, Maid of the Mist, established a bloodline which could be found in classic winners Relko
, April the Fifth
and Craig An Eran. She remains the only horse to have won four British Classics outright - Formosa won the same four classics as Sceptre in 1868 but dead heat
ed for the 1,000 Guineas.
In 1923 after failed attempts to get Sceptre in foal, Lord Glaneley sold her to a Brazilian breeder despite the promise that when he purchased her she would his remain in his care for the remainder of her life. However there was such a public outcry by her adoring fans that Lord Glanely canceled the sale. Sceptre lived peacefully in England until her death in February 1926.
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...
racemare
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...
whose career ran from 1901 to 1904. In 1902 she became the only racehorse to win four British Classic Races outright.
Breeding
Sceptre was bred by Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of WestminsterHugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster
Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster KG, PC, JP , styled Viscount Belgrave between 1831 and 1845 and Earl Grosvenor between 1845 and 1869 and known as the 3rd Marquess of Westminster between 1869 and 1874, was an English landowner, politician and racehorse owner.He inherited the estate of...
at his Eaton Stud in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
and was foaled on 9 April 1899. Her sire, Persimmon
Persimmon (horse)
Persimmon was an outstanding British-bred and British-trained Thoroughbred race horse and sire who won the Epsom Derby in 1896. This was the first horse race ever filmed, by Robert W. Paul and Birt Acres....
, had won the Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
and St. Leger
St. Leger Stakes
The St. Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.Established in 1776, the St. Leger...
in 1896 and the Eclipse Stakes
Eclipse Stakes
The Eclipse Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 7 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early July.-History:The event is named after Eclipse, a...
and Ascot Gold Cup
Ascot Gold Cup
The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
in 1897. Sceptre's dam, Ornament, was sired by the Duke of Westminster's Bend Or
Bend Or
Bend Or was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1880 Epsom Derby. His regular jockey Fred Archer, winner of thirteen consecutive British jockey titles, said Bend Or was probably the greatest horse he had ever ridden....
and was herself a full sister to the Triple Crown
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
winner, Ormonde.
Racing career
The 1st Duke of Westminster died in 1899 and his bloodstock was auctioned. The Duke's trainer, John PorterJohn Porter (horseman)
John Porter was an English Thoroughbred flat racing trainer whose horses won the English Triple Crown three times.-Biography:Born in Rugeley, Staffordshire, the National Horseracing Museum says that John Porter "was undoubtedly the most successful trainer of the Victorian era."From 1854 to 1855,...
, wanted the 2nd Duke
Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster
Hugh Richard Arthur Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster GCVO DSO was the son of Victor Alexander Grosvenor, Earl Grosvenor and Lady Sibell Mary Lumley, the daughter of the 9th Earl of Scarborough...
to buy him but he was outbid by Robert Sievier who bought her for 10,000 guineas
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...
. Sceptre was not only an outstandingly good filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
, she was also an extremely hardy one. Sievier who trained her himself for most of her three-year-old season, was in almost constant need for funds and betting on Sceptre was one way to keep himself afloat. He ran Sceptre in a number of major races, particularly as a three-year-old, before finally selling her at the age of four.
1901
Sievier sent Sceptre to be trained by Charles Morton at WantageWantage
Wantage is a market town and civil parish in the Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. The town is on Letcombe Brook, about south-west of Abingdon and a similar distance west of Didcot....
. She ran three times at two, winning the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom
Epsom Downs Racecourse
Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse near Epsom, Surrey, England. The "downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course is best known for hosting the Epsom Derby, the United Kingdom's premier thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old colts and fillies, over a mile and a half...
and the July Stakes
July Stakes
The July Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July....
at Newmarket
Newmarket Racecourse
The town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations. Newmarket Racecourse has two courses - the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course. Both are wide, galloping...
before being beaten in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster Racecourse
Doncaster Racecourse
Doncaster Racecourse is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's 31 Group 1 flat races, the St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy.- History :...
. At the end of the season Morton became private trainer to Jack Joel and Sievier decided to train his own horses at a yard at Shrewton
Shrewton
Shrewton is a village in Wiltshire, England, located around 9 km west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. It lies on the A360 road between Stonehenge and Tilshead. It is close to the source of the River Till, which flows south to Stapleford. Its population at the 2001 Census was 1,826, as...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
which he leased from John Porter.
1902
Staggeringly by modern standards, Sceptre began her season in the Lincolnshire HandicapLincoln Handicap
The Lincoln Handicap is a flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late March or early April....
with Sievier backing her to win £30,000. She carried 6 stone
Stone (weight)
The stone is a units of measurement that was used in many North European countries until the advent of metrication. It value, which ranged from 3 kg to 12 kg, varied from city to city and also often from commodity to commodity...
7 pounds (41.5 kilograms) but was beaten by a head. She then went to Newmarket
Newmarket Racecourse
The town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations. Newmarket Racecourse has two courses - the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course. Both are wide, galloping...
and won both the 2,000 Guineas, in a then record time of 1 minute 39 seconds and then two days later 1,000 Guineas. Her next target was the Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
but she bruised a foot ten days before the days and finished fourth behind Ard Patrick
Ard Patrick
Ard Patrick was a British Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1902 Epsom Derby and the 1903 Eclipse Stakes.-Pedigree:...
after being left at the start. Two days later she came out and won the Epsom Oaks
Epsom Oaks
The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early June....
. Despite this busy programme Sieiver then ran her in the Grand Prix de Paris
Grand Prix de Paris
The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July.-History:...
, where she was unplaced and then twice at Royal Ascot, where she was fourth in the Coronation Stakes
Coronation Stakes
The Coronation Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.-History:...
and won St. James's Palace Stakes
St. James's Palace Stakes
The St. James's Palace Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
. Sceptre also ran twice at Glorious Goodwood
Goodwood Racecourse
Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House...
where she was beaten in the Sussex Stakes
Sussex Stakes
The Sussex Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August.-History:...
on the opening day but won the Nassau Stakes
Nassau Stakes
The Nassau Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong and 192 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August.-History:The title of...
three days later after being galloped on the intervening two days. At the autumn meeting at Doncaster she won her fourth classic, the St. Leger
St. Leger Stakes
The St. Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.Established in 1776, the St. Leger...
but Sieiver than ran her again two days later over the same course and distance in the Park Hill Stakes
Park Hill Stakes
The Park Hill Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.The event was...
, in which she was beaten. At the end of the season, Sievier sent Sceptre to auction to raise money but she failed to reach her reserve price.
1903 and 1904
Sceptre's four-year-old season began with Sievier making another attempt to win the Lincoln to raise money. She carried 9 stone 1 pound this time and was beaten into fifth place. Sievier then sold her for £25,000 to Sir William BassSir William Bass, 2nd Baronet
Sir William Arthur Hamar Bass, 2nd Baronet was a British racehorse owner and a significant contributor to the racing industry. He also provided support for the British film industry in its early days....
who sent her to Manton to be trained by Alec Taylor, Jr.
Alec Taylor, Jr.
Alec Taylor, Jr. was a British Thoroughbred racehorse trainer who followed in the footsteps of his highly successful father, Alec Taylor, Sr.....
. She won the Hardwicke Stakes
Hardwicke Stakes
The Hardwicke Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.-History:...
at Royal Ascot before losing by a neck to Ard Patrick in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park with the 1903 Derby winner Rock Sand behind her in third. Sceptre won all her four remaining races in 1903, taking the Jockey Club Stakes
Jockey Club Stakes
The Jockey Club Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs at Newmarket, and the final part of the race is on the Rowley Mile...
, Duke of York Stakes, Champion Stakes
Champion Stakes
The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in October...
and Limekiln Stakes. In her final season, 1904, she raced only three times but was placed in all three, finishing second in the Coronation Cup
Coronation Cup
The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
, and third in the Hardwicke Stakes and Ascot Gold Cup
Ascot Gold Cup
The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
. She retired with 13 victories to her name, worth over £38,000.
Later life
Sceptre changed hands several more times, being owned by Edmund Somerville Tattersall of the TattersallsTattersalls
Tattersalls is the main auctioneer of race horses in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1766 by Richard Tattersall , who had been stud groom to the second Duke of Kingston. The first premises occupied were near Hyde Park Corner, in what was then the outskirts of London...
family, John Musker and finally Lord Glanely
William Tatem, 1st Baron Glanely
William James Tatem, 1st Baron Glanely , known as Sir William Tatem, Bt, between 1916 and 1918, was a Cardiff ship-owner and thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder.-Career:...
. She produced eight foals (one colt and seven fillies), and although none of her offspring were anywhere near as good as she was, four of her daughters won races. One of them, Maid of the Mist, established a bloodline which could be found in classic winners Relko
Relko
Relko was a French Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1963 Epsom Derby. A grandson of Tantieme, he was owned by French hotelier, François Dupré and bred at his stud farm in Pont-d'Ouilly in the Basse-Normandie region....
, April the Fifth
April the Fifth
April the Fifth was a thoroughbred racehorse which was bred and trained in England. He won the 1932 Epsom Derby.-Breeding:April the Fifth was sired by Craig an Eran, winner of the 1921 2,000 Guineas and Eclipse Stakes and runner-up by a neck in the Epsom Derby. April the Fifth was bred by Sydney...
and Craig An Eran. She remains the only horse to have won four British Classics outright - Formosa won the same four classics as Sceptre in 1868 but dead heat
Tie (draw)
To tie or draw is to finish a competition with identical or inconclusive results. The word "tie" is usually used in North America for sports such as American football. "Draw" is usually used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Commonwealth of Nations and it is usually used for sports such as...
ed for the 1,000 Guineas.
In 1923 after failed attempts to get Sceptre in foal, Lord Glaneley sold her to a Brazilian breeder despite the promise that when he purchased her she would his remain in his care for the remainder of her life. However there was such a public outcry by her adoring fans that Lord Glanely canceled the sale. Sceptre lived peacefully in England until her death in February 1926.