The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-06-13
The Greatest Turf Scandal Of
the Age
is Brewing in England just at
Present.
WAS SCEPTRE PULLED
That is the Story That Francis
Treyelyan Tells.
Noted Writer Thinks Bob Sewer
Played False.
Was sCEPTRE PULLED2

New York June 13-Francis Trevelyn,
the Anglo-American turf writer, has
Just returned from a visit of some
months to the race tracks Of England.
Under his signature in the Morning
Telegraph is published lengthy story
In which Trevelyan lays bare secrets in
connection with the failure of the great
faVorite Sceptre to win the Derby ana
the setting down of Jockey Randall
Trevelyan declares that Bob Sewer
was bankrupt before the Derby, and
that he virtually won a sure thing ana
got on his feet by losing. He says:
There are in sight the elements OF
the most sensa tional scandal the turf
Of the world has ever seen. The thing
Is simply dramatic to a fault The ruin
ed piunger, owner Of marvellous uliy
FOR which he is reported to have refused
some S203. 600: the Jockey, the son of a
rich man. and having only Just bios
Eomed from an ateurdon-tnese are the
principal figures. and sufhcientln them
e elves to form the base of sporting
novel dealing with MODELLING and eV-
cry other roguery Of the turf The mise
en- scene could be aptly completed with
a discarded wife, a triumphant mistress
and the like. No master of fiction ever
found the elements 80 ready to his nand
I'm a situation in real life"
The general impression Is that Rob
ert S. Sievier is q wealthy man. but
while tremendous sums of money have
gone through his hands he has not
stuck to any of it permanently. If
seeptre had won the Lincolnshire Hand
leap, he would have been rich again.
However, ST. Maclou and not Seeptre
won the opening handicap OF the Eng
lish season. and 1t was common talk
that Bob Sievier was in regular
hole"
The amount of his Indebtedness to the
ring within a short time afterWard one
heard variously estimated. but one Of
the most prominent bOokmakers in Eng
land said that he thought it was fully
S125,000. The amounts Sievier was able
to win over his hlly in the twO-thOusand
and One-thOusand guineaS was not very
large. Each race was worth about $50
600 and he was said to have won about
$50 coo in bets.
A mere drop in the bucket to a man
of Siever's reckless and stupendous
prOdigalities.
His refusal Of the alleged Vanderbilt
offer to buy Seeptre was a fine adver-
fisement. Every little punter in the
land where men, women and children
all bet from pennies to thousands Of
louis wanted Immediately to have bet
on q FLY on whom so enormous store
was set. 1T looked at one time as if
Sceptre would so to the post an odds
on faVorite. and at to the feldeFs
were unexpectedly liberal-unless there
had been something going on which mad
made them smell a rat. Tt was prodig-
ious opportunity to make a fortune to
an absolute certainty, and assuredIy
there was no past episodes in the career
makes and gambler extraordinary. to
make any one suppose that he would
prove such a gilt-edged high class and
honorable sportsman as to turn his nose
at the goods the gods had streWn IN his
path.
In the early part Of the year his
horses had been trained by a young
American named Davis, who had no
particular fame over here, but trained a
few horses at the winter tracks after
graduating from the stables of r. ".
Walden Davis was suddenly dismissed.
Siever took charge of the mare. He fed
her, waited on her, saddled her, and you
know the rest.
Whatever the turf magnates may be
convinced of in the sanctity of their
council chambers, they viii never let
the public into their secrets. A great
open scandal about the Coronation
Derby would be a grievous thing to all
lovers Of the turf. and, beyond doubt,
the king himself would use every posi-
bic influence to suppress such a thing
even to the point Of having the guilty
escape
So. maybe, the very first opportunity
was taken TO lay Randall by the heels
over another matter, while SieVier may
look to get his medicine in process Of
llTnes and the whole thing VIII be passed
over without the names OF the Derby or
OF Scepter being brought in at all. As
TO Jockey Randall his father is a
wealthy manufacturer Of Northampton
t1e owns racing stable. He discarded
the SON. and the young fellow took to
riding as an amateur, and just lately as
professional He rode for Eugene
Leigh, and It was while riding a horse
from that American stable that he get
into trouble. Randall being set down
for a bad ride on Leigh's horse was, of
course, mere pretext He knew Seen
ter better than any jockey. He won the
one and two thousand guineas clever1y.
lie could not have lost the Derby
through not understanding her.
Racing at Gravesend.
AIaw YnrIr Ii1na IQ-R q MAJ au-aas,