Last year’s Sceptre Stakes winner, Reflective Image
Saturday’s Grade 2 Sceptre Stakes is one of South Africa’s top sprint races for fillies and mares. Won by a host of top class performers over the years (the likes of Sunera, Laisserfaire, Blueridge Mountain and Covenant spring to mind), the Sceptre is named in honour of one of the greatest mares ever to grace a racecourse.
Born in 1899, Sceptre was a daughter of Epsom Derby winner and four times champion sire Persimmon (by St Simon), out of the unplaced mare Ornament (by another Epsom Derby winner Bend Or). Ornament, while no star on the track, was a highly successful broodmare with her progeny also including Champion Stakes winner, Labrador, and successful US sire, Star Ruby.
Ornament was an exceptionally well bred mare, being a full sister to unbeaten Triple Crown winner, Ormonde, and her dam, Lily Agnes (by English Derby winner Macaroni) was a tough race mare, whose 19 wins included the Doncaster Cup. Ornament is also the ancestress, albeit a few generations back, of former champion South African sire, Jungle Cove (Bold Ruler).
Sceptre was an exceptionally tough racemare – as well as being an outstanding one. Not only did Sceptre compete in all five British classics of 1902 (winning four of them – 2000 Guineas, 1000 Guineas, Oaks, St Leger), but she competed in the Lincolnshire Handicap as a 3yo, where Sceptre lost by a short head.
Sceptre also competed in the Grand Prix de Paris, two major races on two different days at Royal Ascot, and both the Sussex and Nassau Stakes – at three. At four, Sceptre won the last four races of her campaign, including the Champion Stakes, while she was narrowly touched off in a titanic battle for the Eclipse Stakes. Today, the Champion and Eclipse Stakes are considered the premier 2000m events in Britain.
Sceptre lived until the ripe old age of 27 and would have been a racing legend even if she had been a complete failure at stud. Barring Formosa, Sceptre is the only horse in history to have won as many as four British classics, a truly remarkable feat –and her feat was made all the noteworthy by the fact that during her 3yo campaign she was trained by her eccentric, gambling owner, Robert Sievier.
In total, Sceptre produced eight foals (of which seven were fillies) and four were winners – not a great record for such a remarkable champion. However, the list of top class descendants tracing back to Sceptre through her daughters is a distinguished one, and includes both notable winners and stallions.
While she herself was less than outstanding as a broodmare, Sceptre did produce daughters who succeeded, their numerous descendants featuring in the pedigrees of many of today’s best performers.
Her best offspring on the track was Maid Of Corinth (Cyllene), winner of the Cheveley Park Stakes (today a British Group 1 championship event for 2yo fillies).
However, Maid Of Corinth, who also finished second in the 1000 Guineas, proved far less successful at stud than did her full sister, Maid Of The Mist, who established herself as an important foundation mare for the Astor studs. Among her offspring were a pair of classic winners in Craig-An-Eran (2000 Guineas) and Sunny Jane (Epsom Oaks), while her daughter, Hamoaze, produced a pair of colts (Buchan and St Germans) who became champion sires in Britain and the USA respectively. Another of Hamoaze’s sons was Eclipse Stakes hero, Saltash, while her 1919 colt by Tracery, Tamar, went on to finish second (to Papyrus) in the 1923 English Derby.
Among the top class performers who trace back in female line to Sceptre is former Eclipse Stakes winner and champion sire, Petition, the sire of a filly widely regarded as Sceptre’s equal on the race track in Petite Etoile.
Epsom Derby winner and successful sire, Relko, (also sire of former champion South African sire, Royal Prerogative) is another tracing back in female line to the four time winning classic winner, as are his top class half brothers Reliance (French Derby, Grand Prix de Paris) and Match II (King George, Washington D C International).
Reliance would go on to leave his mark on the breed through his outstanding daughter, Doubly Sure, the dam of champions and leading sires, Diesis and Kris (both stallions having gone on to become outstanding broodmare sires, with Kris’ daughters producing, amongst others, world leading sire, Invincible Spirit), while Match II’s daughter, Photo Flash, ran 3rd in the 1000 Guineas before going on to a successful stud career. In contrast, Sceptre’s Beresford Stakes winning descendant Deep Run (Pampered King) made his name at stud as a tremendous champion sire in the National Hunt sphere, with his offspring including the Cheltenham Gold Cup heroine, Dawn Run.
Another top performer descended in female line from Sceptre was Midnight Sun – the disqualified dead heat winner of the Prix de’l Arc de Triomphe of 1959, as well as further classic winners, Comanche Run (St Leger), Full Dress (1000 Guineas), One In A Million (1000 Guineas), and Swiftfoot (Irish Oaks).
In South Africa, the Sceptre influence continues through the success of the Biribi sire, Jubie, sire of Summer Handicap hero Cape Heath, Met winner Minnetonka and outstanding broodmares, Rondeau (2nd dam of Broodmare Of The Year First Lisa) and Turbinia (dam of Sun Lass).
Clearly the influence of this mighty mare should be felt in the stud book for a long time to come.
