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GREATEST RACE MARES OF ALL TIME Hie three mares to earn the most money racing in the worlds history are Sceptre Pretty Polly and La Heche and a glance through their careers will I am sure prove interesting First comes Sceptre bred by the late Duke of Westminster and foaled on April 9 1899 After his Graces death the daughter of Persimmon and Ornament sister to Ormonde came up for sale on Wednesday morning of the Newmarket First July meeting of 1900 anil was disposed of to Mr Robert Sievier at the worlds record price for a yearling at 10000 guineas In 1903 he disposed of Sceptre privately to Sir William Bass for 125000 and Sir William in turn sold her on the Monday of the Newmarket Second July Salos In 1911 Messis Tattersail becoming the mares owners at 7000 guineas In 1901 Sceptre ran thrice winning the Wbodcote Stakes and July Stakes and being much off color when failing to defeat Game Chick for the Champagne Stakes The next season she contested twelve races failing in the Lincoln ¬ shire Handicap Derby Grand Prix do Paris Coro ¬ nation Stakes Sussex Stakes and Park Hill Stakes her wins consisting of the Two and One Thuosand Guineas Oaks St James Palace Stakes Nassau Stakes and St Lcger In 1903 Sceptro won five times out of seven attempts her performance in the Jockey Club Stakes when sho conceded Rock Sand fifteen iwiinds and beat him with consum ¬ mate ease by four lengths being perhaps thu smoothest one in a very notable career and thu following year when never anything approaching her real self the daughter of Persimmon ran three times unsuccessfully In all Sceptre started on twentyfive occasions and won thirteen races worth 191415 Sho also earned 10585 place money and ran three times in handicaps twice without success for the Lincolnshire and for thu Duke of York Stakes which sho secured after much disap ¬ pointment pointmentThe The next of this great trio and an absolutely marvelous mare up to a mile and a half but not a real stayer like Sceptre is Pretty Polly which never competed in any handicap and only twice suffered defeat In the Prix duConsciI Municipal when in a sea of mud she got done by another three yearold Presto II to which she was giving nine pounds besides the sex allowance and when Bache ¬ lors Button beat her for the Ascot Cup she being then fairly jockeyed out of the race by some clever tactics in all Pretty Polly contested twentytwo races her twenty wins including the National Breed ¬ ers Produce Stakes Champagne Stakes Middle Park Plate One Thousand Guineas Oaks Coronation Stakes St Leger and two Coronation Cups in the first of which she confirmed her French form with Klnfandcl The stakes Gallinules renowned daughter won amounted to 180485 and her two seconds brought in Major Loder another 500 Bred bv the Major uid foaled on March 1 1900 this sweet tempered chestnut mare is by Gallinule out of Ad ¬ miration by Saraband SarabandThe The last of these three justly celebrated mares La Fleclie was bred by Queen Victoria at Hampton Court anil foaled on Marcli 10 1889 The following year Baron tie Hirsch paid 5500 guineas for her then easily a lecord for a yearling filly or for tlint matter any yearling although beaten in 1S91 when Childwick realized 0000 guineas at Doncaster and after his death the sister to another good mare Memoir they being jiy St Simon out of Quiver by Musket was purchasLd by Sir Tatton Sykes for 12000 guineas Tor him La Fleohe lias bred Usides others John o Gaunt the live which have been offered out of her amongst the Siedtnere yearlings at Doncaster having collectively realized 17900 guineas Another yearling from her La Veine by Morion was iiurcliased by Mr Larnoch for 3100 guineas at the sale after Baron de Hlrsehs death on the same inornjnr June 30 that Sir Tatton se curud her dam at Newmarket La Fleclie ran on twentyfour occasions winning sixteen races includ iii the One Thousand Uyjuqis 0 Ks St eger Lancashire Plate and Cambridgshire amongst oilier races as a threeyearold and sho carried 8st lOlbs to victory in the great Newmarket Handicap scoring by an easy length and a half from another three yearold Pensioner to which she couceded thirty four pounds There can also I should think lie little doubt that La Fleclie and not Sir Hugo ought to have won the Derby that year but as horses ire not gifted with power of speech although some tinie since a socalled talking horse was on show this can never now be proved In 1894 La Fleclie woi the Ascot Cup and I may note that she five Ihn contested handicaps being fifth in the Cnmbriiii shire of 1893 under 9st 7 Ibs which Molly Mor ¬ gan won as a fouryearold with only Gut 7 Ibs up winning the Liverpool Autumn Cu as a four year old when burdened with tho cms er of 9st lilbs being fourth carrying Ust 7lbs i thu Prince Ed ¬ ward Handicap of 1894 and also hen n four year old under 9st lllbs getting fo rth in a sen of liquid mud for the Manchester N veniber Handicap to Golden Diop four years 7sr 71bs La Fleelie won in stakes 173515 besides 5395 place money Audux in Horse and Hound
