The Archive · 1904

The St. Leger of

1904

By winning the St. Leger Stakes, Major Eustace Loder's splendid filly Pretty Polly, ch. f. by Gallinule—Admiration, has added one more to"hor list of successes, without a single defeat, Sceptre was the public idol, chiefly because she carried the public' money, and in many cases gave them a profit at a romunerative price. Nevertheless, Sceptre has bon defeated on several occasions, particularly so this year.' On the other hand, Pretty Polly has won on at least fifteen occasions and has never yet ox-nonced defeat; although her' races jove appeared such certainties on account of the quality of the filly and have therefore limited the betting, those who participate in racing for the love of the game will place Pretty Polly on a level with any mare that has boon a classic winner.

In 1908 Pretty Polly ran on eleven occasions, was never defeated, and credited her popular owner with no less than £18,502 in stakes. This year the filly turned out in the following events and was successful on each occasion:—The One Thousand Guiness Stakes, at Now-market, on the 29th April; the Oaks Stakes, at Epson, on the 3rd Juno Coronation Stakes at Ascot, on the 15th Tune; the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood, on the 20th July; and. the. St. Leger Stakes at Doncaster, on the 7th instant. After the Coronation Stakes at Ascot she had won in stakes no less than £25,250, and her wins in the Nassau Stakes (about £700) and the St. Leger Stakes (about £4,000) bring the total up to close upon £30,000.

Many of the sporting writers at home preferred other horses to Pretty Polly for the Leger, in the belief that she could not stay the distance. Others expressed the opinion that whether she could stay or not would make no difference, as, loss of staying power, her speed would break the rest of the

Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.

Your account