Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-07
FAMOUS BRITISH RACE MARES
sceptre Pronounced by Experts to Be
the Greatest Ever.
FnLrEs NOT STRONG IN DERBY
Pretty Folly, blink Benny, Cruciax,
Achievement, ViraRo ana other
stars of the British Turf Are
stan BeInE Discussed.

still BeInE Discussed.
1t has been repeatedly asserted by Eng
iish turf critics that sceptre. now retired
to the stud after a remarkable series OF
triumphs on the British racecourses, is the
mare OF the century," There has been no
rend OF discussion on the subject of famous
race mares Of the past. on the other side
OF the Atlantic. so that a writer In the
London Sportsman has evolved the follow
Ing interesting facts;
+ Epson Derby was established as
far back as 17sO, yet, strangely enough, In
the long lost of equine winners only four
filiies have been successful. The first to
win the blue ribbon of the turf was Eleanor
in 1901 they came Blink Bonny in 1857, fol-
lowed by Shotover in 1852, while the sensa-
tionai outsider. Sisnorinetta, completes the
select list. Not one of the quartet can COM
pare with other famous mares that have
been unsuccessful when running In Epsom's
chief classic; notably Lady Elizabeth in
1858, La Fleche in 1892 and Sceptre in 1902.
Neither will the above mentioned heroines
so down to posterity as the best of all
time. That unique distinction opens up a
topic Of much argument when each decade
seems to bring forth a famous mare whose
admirers at once claim for her the highest
pinnacle of fame, and class her as the
mare Of the century
In the early part of last century the
famous Chifneys stood fast to Fleur de Lis.
Then came Crucifix, whom both John Day
and John Kent each favored as the best
of a very long era. John Porter, the
late master of Kingsclere. and George
Hodgman, our Oldest racecourse follower,
each stand by virago. Racing men of the
EOS in a large majority swear by Lady
Elizabeth.
Fred Arch r'a Choice.
The late H. Custance, who was riding in
a great age. would hear of no mare to be
the equal of Achievement, while the re-
moved F. Archer, who rode in no fewer
than s,084 races-he won ~2,T4s-always de-
clared in favor of Wheel Of Fortune.
There are many other famous mares one
calls 20 memory that have each a host of
admirers, but to include another dozen,
each with high claims, they would be
Beeswing, Alice Hawthorn. Queen of
Trumps, Cobweb, Apology, Hannah, Marie
Stuart, Formosa, La .Fleche, Sceptre and
Pretty Polly, not Forgetting the famous
French bred. File de rAir. Eleanor won
both the Derry and Oaks IN 1901, a double
which Blink Benny won in 1857, and Sig
norinetta in 1903 afterward completed.
shotover did not run in the oaks. but she
previously won. the Two Thousand Guineas
in a canter, but failed in the st, Leger to
Dutch oven and Geheimness. That year
the fillies won the five classic races, the
only occasion on record.
Fleur de Lis won two Goodwood cups in
the royal livery, on the first occasion for
King George w. and the following year,
$780, for King William ~. She was a
remarkable mare over a distance and won
twenty other races, At the STUD FTeur de
Lis produced Sovereign. which, when i'm
ported to America, sired Prioress-the mare
which won a sensational Cesarewitch after
a dead heat between three in 1867.
Crucinx n Wonder.
Then after a lapse came the wonderful
Crucifix in 1889. During that year she
won nine races. including the July stakes,
Chesterfield stakes and Criterion stakes,
which brought her owner, Lord George
Bentinok. $22.s5 in stakes-a poor COM
parison to the PSI, 4sO which Pretty Polly
won in the same number of races during
1903. As a s-year-old Crucifix started
but three times, winning the Thous-
and Guineas, Two Thousand Gulneas
and EPSON Oaks. In the latter
race the horses were delayed an hour
at. the post through no fewer than sixteen
false starts. she can afford TO fIlrt with
the best of them for half a day." her
owner remarked as she eventually got left
fully fifty yards, q distance she could have
given four times, so supreme was her SUI
periority over her rivals on that day. on
the Oaks her owner won 800, 900, and about
three times that amount during her brief
racing career. At the stud Crucifix gained
further celebrity through her son, Surpllce,
the Derby and st. Leger winner in 1886.
The famous Virago came on the turf as a
meteor in 1854, after having run unplaced
In a selling race as a 2-year-oid. As a
3-year-old Virago won both the City and
Suburban and Great Metropolitan stakes OH
the same afternoon; then the Great North
ern handicap, Flying Dutchman's handi-
cap, Nassau stakes, Yorkshire Oaks and
Doneaster cup; not Il bad sequence for a
filly that originally cost but 1880.
The ViFago boom had hardly died GU
when the marvellous Achievement made hei
debut on the turf in 1866. As a 2-year-old
Achievement carried off in quick success.
sion the Woodcote stakes. New stakes
July stakes, Chesterfield stakes, Cham.
payne stakes and Criterion stakes. afte,
having suffered defeat but twice. In the
Clearwell stakes she succumed to Plaudit
then The Rake lowered her colors in the
first Middle Park plate. After winning tn,
Thousand Guineas the following season sh,
was beaten by Hippia in the Oaks; but. re.
gaining her form, she won the Great York,
shire stakes, st. Leger and Doncaster cup
In the two latter races she defeated tn,
sensational Derby winner. Hermit.
Lady Elizabeth Was Great.
Strangely, another wonderful two-year
old was defeated in the second Middl,
Park plate. namely. the flying Lady Eliza
beth. which won eleven races during 1861
She was perhaps the best two-year-old tina
ever carried silk. 1t was in the race jus
mentioned that she showed how harshI,
she had been worked. Her downfall was
bitter blow TO her owner, the MARQUIS o
, Hastings. who lost $4,000 over the race
although but half the amount he. had earle
in that fatal year lost on Hermit's DERBY
As a three-year-old. Lady Elizabeth, whicl
was all but a cripple. started at a ridicu
lousy false price in Blue Gowns Derby
About that decade the fllles in some wear