"'SCEPTXE' WINS/" 



691 



seems to have been made in her owner's absence, and it was only by tempting her 

 with a preliminary carrot or an apple that she would eat about 5lb. 4oz. of oats in 

 a day. By the time of the St. Leger she was doing 2ilb. without an effort. But 

 that spring must have been a trial. St. Maclon beat her at Lincoln by a head. 

 After this Mr. Sievier trained her entirely himself, gave her a sound rest and only 

 increased her work as her appetite returned ; but both were still slightly erratic. 

 She was sweating in the paddock before the Two Thousand, but she soon cooled 

 down to business, and easily beat Ard Patrick, who finished behind Pistol, in 

 the record time of i min. 39 sec., with Randall on her back, who had only just 

 turned professional. That afternoon Mr. Charles Greenwood telegraphed to London 

 that she might well 

 beat Formosa s record. 

 There were not many 

 who had supported her 

 for the Two Thousand 

 so strongly as had Mr. 

 Arthur Portman. But 

 every one was to receive 

 a good many shocks 

 before her three-year- 

 old career was over. 

 She twisted a plate 

 just before the start 

 for the One Thousand, 

 and Mr. Sievier had to 



wrench it off himself. Then she got away badly, being always better when she 

 has warmed to her work ; but she beat St. Windeline easily in i min. 405 sec., 

 another record. 



Then began one of the most interesting discussions as to the Derby I have ever 

 known. Mr. Sievier has put it on record that he stood to win .33,000 on her for 

 the big race. He himself provided almost as much conversation as did his wonderful 

 filly, and while the old hands compared what was at first called the Coronation Derby 

 with the race in the year of Queen Victoria's coronation, with memories of Lord 

 George Bentinck, Lord Albemarle, Sir Gilbert Heathcote, and Lord Chesterfield, 

 who accounted for "the classics" between them, younger men remembered that 



" Winifreda " (1897) by " St. Simon:' 



