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BRILLIANT TURF CAREER OF SCEPTRE. Sketch of the Mare Which Brought the Greatest Yearling Price on Record, "Last time :it 10,00$ guineas announced Mr. Sowenrille Tattereall iium the mtaui in Park Paddocks on Wedaeaday i" tin* First July meeting Ol UN, a moments pause, and down eame the hammer to Ike bid of Mr. K. Sicvier for the lilly by Persimmon out of Ornament. Hie gem of the tailings bred bj the late Duke of Westminster. sold by order ol Ms executors, it was ■ record price tot a eat ling, and altogether a nietuorahle occasion, for tke eleven youngsters dlisnsrd of realised 42.700 guineas, and showed the saoraMMM average of ■ little orer :;.sso guineas, it was a red-letter day for tke purchaser, who also bought ike coil by Urate out t Uuntlet fat .""..»."»*_"► guineas. In due coarse these two youngsters were named Sceptre and Duke of Westminster, while, a- a pi.of that the luck of the buyer was "in." Mr. Sicvier gave the choice of the colt or iilly at 20.imh ] i unds or thereabouts to Mr. G. Faker, and the •■mike" was selected, bad be could not aria a race as a t Into ear-old. sad only one — the Rous Memorial at Ascol at tour years, For the present Dake of Westminster, who at the time was in the wilds of Soutu Africa. 0.400 guineas was paid for the tolt by Orate oat of Kissing Caa, afterwards named Kissing tup, whose nearest approach to winning a race iraa to laisk Brat Ear the prince of Wales Stakes at Ascol ami to saffer disiiualitiiaiion. Among tke callings sold that day were living Lemur. St. BaMt, Samltlake. CoBSOrt, Kcnttnere anil The Gatherer, none of which turned out much _. ml. So much for the luck of buying yearlings. Charles Morton had the training of Sceptre as I two-rear-old, and well I remember his prophetic words when together we saw her stripped iu her bias early in the spring. "There you are." said he. "take a good look at her. and if you can pick a fault you are a better judge than I, for nothing more perfect in make, ■fcaue and quality ever looked through a bridle ami if she is not a top-sawyer, 1 never saw one. Nor was this in the least degree an exaggeration, for she was a splendid specimen of the thoroughretl. aud Mortons .judgment was handsomely continued at the first time ol asking, when Starting a warm favorite she showed Iter heels ! i Caardaa, lat Blair and the rest in the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom. Site did not appear at Ascot, where Duke of Westminster made a brilliant debut in the New Stakes, his quondam paddock companion. 1 lying l.einur. being backed against the field, and finishing nowhere. Sceptre eras next seen at Newmarket, where, with odds of lt to 1 laid on. -he ran awaj with the -Inly Stakes, sad how Game hick and Caardata managed to heat kef for the Champagne Stakes at Doncastor must always remain a mystery. At the end of the s-as.pn Morton migrated to l.etcoiube Regis to take charge of Mr. .1. B. Joels hoists, and Mr. Sicvier personally superintended tiie training of his own string, of which Sceptre made an early beginning as a trhee -year-old in the Lincolnshire Handicap. She carried ttl j ii uuds. starting a ragtag hot favorite at 11 to 4. tut too much use was made of her, with the result that she was taught in the last few strides and beaten a head by St. Maclou. an unlucky defeat. Duke of Westminster carried the colors of Mr. ;. Faker for the first time in the Two Thousand Guineas, ami shared market honors with Sceptre, 1 nit was unplaced, whereas the snare was a gallant winner from Pistol, a ." 0 to 1 chance, ami Aril Patrick. With equal ease she won the One Thou sand from St. Windeline. Black Fancy and Game Chick, and then was backed against the field for the Derby, in which race she had none the best of link, finishing fourth otilv to Aid Iatrick. which won easily from Rising Glass and Friar Tuck. This form was afterwards shown to lie far below her real merit, for neither Glass Jug, Klba, nor anything else could extend her in the Oaks, but under the extreme penalty and giving fourteen pounds to each she was kept out of a place for the Coronation Stakes at Ascot by Doctrine. Simony and St. 1 Dcoanber. Sceptre did better on the following day. wkea she easily disposed of Flying Lemur, and at tiie same time reversed most decisively the Epsom running with Rising Glass. At Goodwood she failed by a couple of lengths to concede six pounds to Koval Lancer, but made amends with a hollow suc-ress orer Eflka sad St. Dacosnher in the Nasaaa st ikes at the same meeting. Another striking per-fonaaace was ker victory in the St. I.eger. which she won by three lengths from Rising tilass. and she might have been spared another go under her big penalty for the Dark Hill Slakes, iu which Klba took her 1 1 II at I for previous failures. It is conceivable that Seeptre ought to have won all ker three-year-old engagements, but n-uie the less it wa- a great achievement to win the Two and One Thousand Guiaeaa, the Oaks, and the St. Leger. and tile way was paved for some more fine performances iu the following season. Ibis years work again opened unsuccessfully with the Lincolnshire Handicap, when -he was unplaced to over Norton. Portcullis and Vpsilanti. lut the mare was at her best again by the time Ascot came round, and for the first time she sported the colors of Sir William Bass, who had purchased her privately at a huge figure, and marked the occaaioa bj romping heme live lengths in front of Gay Gordon for the llardwicke Slakes. In the Eclipse Stakes Sceptre showed that the Derby form wa- wrong by running Aril Patrick to a neck after a desperate struggle, in which I think Hardy lacked the finishing power of Madden, but it was good form nevertheless, and Rock Sand, favorite at ."i to 4. was beaten three lengths from the pair. There was no Aid Iatrick in her way when she turned out ■gain for the Jockey Club Stakes, for which, strange to -ay. Bock Sand again Started favorite, this tune with slight odds laid on him, but the mare beat him still more decisively, and next did a great performance at Kempton when, after appearing hopelessly out of it. she ml Madden between them literally snatched by a head the victory mi the post from Happy Slave in the Duke of York Stakes. A we.k later Kroonstad ami Merry Saint were unable to extend the mare iu the Champion Stakes, nor was Paregoric mere capable in a single-handed lioiit with her for the Limekiln Stakes, which, curiously enough, was immediately followed by the tie-lory of Pretty Polly in the Criterion Stakes. Sceptre was trained again as a tive-year-old. but did not win another race, for though she beat Rock Sand again for the Coronation Cup at Kpsom she in turn was a length behind Zinfanth 1. ami was beaten again by Lord Howard de Waldens horse for the Ascol Cup. which supplied the surprise of the week, in the suecess el Throwaway. the outsider of a party of four. Deterioration was still more evident when, by way of conclusion to a great racing career, she finished a poor third to Rock Sand and San try for the llardwicke Stakes. Sceptre is grandly bred. by lersiniinon out of Ornauient, by Bend Or out of Lily Agnes, by Mai aroui. but: has made no great hit as a broodmare. To Cyllene she produced Maid of the Mist in her first and Maid of Corinth iu her second season, then a tilly by Isinglass, and next Queen Carbine, by Carbine. All these raced for Sir William Bass until he retired from the turf and at the dispersal of his stud in 1911, the mare, after proving barren in consecutive seasons to Cicero ami Marco, was knocked down to hi- own bid of 7. HX guineas by Mr. Sonierville TattersalL and had Curia to Cicero. Maid of the Mist with a filly foal by Torpoint and covered by St. Fruaquin was sold to Mr. R. Portman for 4,."itK guineas. Maid of Corinth to Baron AlnkOBSe de Rothschild for 4.000 guineas, and the tilly by Isinglass to Mr. I. Tesio ler 1,659 guineas to go to Italy. — -"Vigilant" in Loudon Sportsman.
