Sceptre – Racing’s Sweetheart

Sceptre is the only outright winner of four British Classics, so becoming Racing’s Sweetheart.

Bred by the 1st Duke of Westminster at Eaton in 1899, Sceptre was a bay filly by the Derby and St Leger winner Persimmon, out of  Ornament, a sister to the great Triple Crown winner, Ormonde.

Later that year, on the death of the Duke, his bloodstock were sold by public auction, with Sceptre going to Robert Sievier, an infamous gambler, for 10,000 guineas, then a record for a yearling at auction.

Sceptre was initially trained by Charles Morton at Wantage, winning the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom and the July Stakes at Newmarket as a juvenile. However, when Morton became a private trainer to Jack Joel, Sievier decided to train the filly himself, at his recently acquired stables at Shrewton, in Wiltshire.

The following year, in an unorthodox preparation for the Classics, Sceptre was entered in the Lincolnshire Handicap purely for gambling purposes, and allotted only 6 st 7 lb was backed by Sievier to win £30,000. Dramatically, she was beaten a head, carrying 1 lb overweight.

Sievier, remarkably, then trained her to win both the Two Thousand and One Thousand Guineas.

In the lead up to the Derby, Sceptre bruised a foot, so disrupting her preparation. Then on the day after long spells of torrential rain, thought to improve her chance, she went off the even money favourite. Following Sievier’s instructions, her jockey, Bert Randall, took her the reverse way to the start, walking the last mile and so creating tension amongst the awaiting 17 runners and, the starter.

Randall’s nervousness seemed to peak at the off causing her to get away badly. Rushed through the field she was in contention two furlongs out, but could give no more and finished fourth behind Ard Patrick.

Two days later as the 1-2 favourite, she beat 14 rivals to win the Oaks.

Sceptre’s busy schedule continued with a further four races before the St Leger, where she appeared as “all skin and bone,” on arrival at Doncaster. Nevertheless, her class saw her through, when winning by three lengths from Rising Glass.

The following year, after another failed gamble on Sceptre to win the Lincoln, Sievier, short of money, sold Sceptre to William Bass of the 10th Hussars for £25,000.

Sent to Alec Taylor’s yard at Manton, she recovered her strength to win Ascot’s Hardwicke Stakes, then in the Eclipse Stakes, billed as “The Race of the Century”, she was beaten a neck by her old advisory Ard Patrick,  with the previous year’s Triple Crown winner, Rock Sand, a distant third.

Sceptre continued her busy programme winning another four races including the Jockey Club Stakes, beating Rock Sand by four lengths and finally, winning the Champion Stakes by 10 lengths.

As a five-year old Sceptre ran three times without success; second in the Coronation Cup, third to Rock Sand in the Hardwick Stakes, then third of four in the Ascot Gold Cup.

At stud, she produced seven fillies, including four winners and one colt. Her first foal, Maid of the Mist, bred two Classic winners – Sunny Jane (1917 Oaks) and Craig an Eran (1921 Two Thousand Guineas), both by Sunstar (1911 Derby).

Sceptre continued to change hands until finally in 1923, Lord Glanely, after promising she would remain in his care for the rest of her life, sold her to a Brazilian breeder. However, following a great public outcry he was forced to cancel the sale, allowing Sceptre to stay in England until her death in February, 1926.

Bob Sievier died after a checkered life on the Turf in relative poverty on October 8^th 1939.

 

For more Racing History see Michael’s Books for Sale.