SCEPTRE AT WORK 131 



Sceptre has the lithe, stealing action of a thorough 

 stayer ; every movement is suggestive of absolute ease, 

 and as she slipped along past me, with her ears pricked 

 and no indication that she was really exerting herself, I 

 glanced at Doochary now in dire straits and wondered: 

 " What manner of filly can this be, for did we not see 

 Doochary beat Pekin last year ? " 



So they went on to the end of the gallop, and 

 Sceptre pulled up as fresh as when she started. She 

 could not possibly have done her work in better style. 

 Doochary, I should add, is known through gallops with 

 others in the stable to have fully maintained his form ; 

 so there the case rests. 



In a similar gallop, the week before the Two Thousand 

 Guineas, Doochary managed to hold his own with Sceptre 

 up to six furlongs. This time she had taken the measure 

 of him at two furlongs. Randall at that point called to 

 Bonser to come on, but on looking round at Doochary 

 he at once saw that the son of Milford was already on 

 the full stretch, and if we assume that Doochary is 

 we ll of which there appears to be no doubt it is 

 clear that Mr Sievier's view as to Sceptre's great im- 

 provement is the correct one. Randall was delighted 

 with his mount. "The strange thing is," said he, "that 

 she never feels as if she was going fast. She does it 

 all so very easily." 



He will ride her again on Sunday in a mile and a half 

 gallop, and this will practically finish her Derby pre- 

 paration. On the day, she will be saddled and mounted 

 in the Durdans and then ridden through the paddock 

 to take part in the parade and get accustomed to the 

 crowd. It will, I am sure, be admitted on all hands 

 that she is at the very zenith of condition. I had 



