Sceptre, who lived from 1899 to 1926, was bred and trained in Britain. In a career that spanned three years, she would break the record of British Classic Races.
She was bred by Hugh Grosvenor, who was the 1st Duke of Westminster. The mare was one of his trophies in a farm that raised winners and was known around England for how it operated. It is fair to say that Sceptre was born among winners and would go on to live among winners for a very long time. You could argue that this precipitated her rise to stardom.
When the duck died, his estate decided to auction his stock, which saw the mare getting sold. A lot of people wanted the hammer to fall for the second Duke, but the mare eventually went to Robert Sievie , who bid high at 10,000 guineas. In the course of his training, it became pretty clear that Sceptre was hardy and could stand any challenge thrown her way.
Between 1901 and 1904, Sceptre won a lot of races and was notorious for her ability to thrive in the most trying of challenges. She started her career with a bang, winning at the Woodcote stakes in 1901.She also left a trail of tears in the July Stakes of the same year. 1902 brought about the likes of Epsom Oaks and Nassau Stakes. In 1903, she won the Duke of York and Champion Stakes.
After retirement, she went on to foal 8 horses, and while most did not set the world alight, they did win derbies at local levels. She died in February 1926. Out of the 25 races she took part in , Sceptre won 13. She had racked more than a dozen outings and seen plenty of cash in her day. At retirement, her winnings were at
₤38,225
Which was a considered a goodly sum back in the day.
