Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-07

then an equally important race. lp fact
She started in sixty-three races, winning
no fewer than n%fty-threo. Then she added
TO her lame by producing Newminster,
Nunnykirk and Honey suokle.
Alice Via thOrne Wen Fifty..
Another famous mare about that time
was Alice Hawthorn. She ran in sixty
eight races during seven seasons, winning
fifty and a dead heat. At the stud she
became famous through her sons. Thor
manly and ouiston. The former, It will
be recalled, won the Derby for James
Merry in 1850. VINO won over $4,000 in bets
alone. II Is worth mentioning that the
dam OF old Beeswing cost but sl06, while
Alice Hawthorn came from a mare which
never had a bride on.
Lillian. which won the queens plate at
the Newmarket Craven meeting in 1878 by
twelve lengths, ran in log races, nearly all
from two TO three miles, and won forty-six
Of them In six seasons.
Mention Of these hard worked mares re-
minds one not to forget the ST. Leger
heroine, Caller Out, of 1861. During six
years racing she won forty-four races,
having started in no fewer than eighty-six.
The last really good mare In the nine
tenth century was La Fleche, which won
the Champagne stakes C~beating Sir Hugo
and other races as a 2-year-old. AS a Swear
old she carried off the Thousand Guineas,
the Oaks, the 81. Leger ~(beating Sir Hugo.
Newmarket stakes, Nassau stakes, Grand
Duke Michael stakes, the Cambridgeshire
and the then valuable Lancashire plate.
Yet for some reason she was defeated by
Sir Hugo in the Derby. AS a 4-year-old
she won the Liverpool Summer cup and
Lowther stakes, going still higher in 1891
by winning the Ascot Gold cup and Cham
pion stakes, which brought her winnings
during four years UP to sl7S,5l5.
Pretty Polly Travelled Fast.
With all these famous mares in the
past the wonderful Pretty Polly will stand
comparison. Coming out in 1903 by winning
the British Dominion race by ten lengths
she won all her other engagements, includ-
ing the National Breeders Produce stakes,
the Mersey stakes, Champagne stakes,
Autumn Breeders Foal plate, Chevely
Park stakes, Middle Park plate, the old
time Criterion stakes and the Moulton
stakes. AS a 3-year-old she was defeated
by Presto III in France, but in England
she was indicated. She won the One
Thousand Guineas, the Oaks, Coronation
stakes, Nassau stakes. then beat st.
Amant-which had won the Two Thousand
Guineas and Derby-in the st. Leger. She
also won the Champion stakes, Jockey
Club cup and Coronation cup as a Agar
old, then again won the latter race in
1908, but was unfortunately beaten after
a wonderful career by Bachelors Button
in the Ascot Gould cup OF 1905.
Even a greater mare. in my opinion, than
Pretty Polly was the peerless Sceptre,
which was undoubtedly the most sensa-
tional mare that ever ran. Bred by the
late Duke of Westminster. she began her
romantic career by realizing $4,000 when
purchased by r. S. Sievier as a yearling
in 1900. In the following year she made her
debut by an easy victor in the Woodcote
stakes, a victory she followed up by win
ming the July stakes. but was later de-
feated in the Champagne stakes by Game
Chick. After a sensational defeat by st.
Maclou in the Lincolnshire, Mr.. Slevier
took over the task of training Sceptre.
She then carried off the Two Thousand
Guineas, beating Pistol and Art Patrick.
and the One Thousand Guineas. Starting
a warm favorite for the Derby she was
beaten by Art Patrick, Rising Glass and
Friar Tuck. However, later in that week
she won the Oaks in a canter. She was
then sent across the channel, but after
another defeat in France returned to AS
cot. where she won the st. James Palace
stakes, but during the same week was de-
feated by Doctrine Gin the Coronation
stakes. 80
Royal Lancer Beats sceptrc.
The Goodwood meeting followed. which
gave Sceptre a win in the Nassau stakes
and another unexpected reverse. This
time she went under to Royal Lancer in
the Sussex stakes. Here Sceptre had a
rest from the race course, making her re-
appearance on the Doncaster Town Moor,
where she easily won the st. Leger, beat
in gboth Rising Glass and Frisr Tuck, as
easily as Ard Patrick had done in the
Blue Riband She was again beaten for
the last time that season by Elba In the
Park Hill stakes. After a f~ruitless at
tempt to win the Lincolnshire Handicap
of 1904 she was sold to w. Bass, for
S125.O 900. For her new owner Scepre won
rich races. She took the Hardwicke stakes,
the Champion stakes, the Limekiln stakes,
the Duke OF York stakes, and the Jockey
Club stakes, giving Rock Sand fifteen
pounds and the biggest trouncing he ever
suffered. Only once in that memorable year
was she defeated. The race referred TO
was the Eclipse stakes. when after a des-
perate race she was just beaten by Ard
Patrick, the pair having raced rlsht away
from Rock Sand. Here it must be remem-
bered the famous mare had TO run on the
outside all around the Sondown bend. Az
a 5-year-old sceptre never regained her
true form, and after a defeat at EPSON
and again at Ascot she was sent TO the
stud, having won in stakes alone over
$4,000.
We have now seen what the famous
mares have done on the turf, Undoubtedly
Lady Elizabeth. Achievement and Pretty
Polly were the best of the 2-year-olds
scepter, Virago. Achievement and La
Fleche were the best of the 4-year-olds
but Of all scepter holds the pride of place
and ranks, in my opinion, as the mare Of
the century" In the classic races she die
what Others never accomplished by win
ming the one THOUSAND Guineas. Two Thou
sand Guineas, the Oaks and St. Leger
Formosa counts as a winner of these
events, but in the Two Thousand Guinea'
she only dead-heated with Moslsm. Then
again, did not Scepter gain distinction bS
defeating Rock sand twice?
where Rock sand Failed.
Rock Sand was a real good horse, a win.
ner OF sixteen races, including the Triple