Nun Nicer (1895–1915) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. As a two-year-old in 1897 she ran consistently, winning three of her nine races including the Manchester Summer Foal Plate and Hopeful Stakes as well as being placed on four occasions. In the following year she won the 1000 Guineas, Triennial Stakes, September Stakes and Palatine Plate and finished second in the Epsom Oaks and Coronation Stakes. As a four-year-old she ran second in the Stewards' Cup and won the Preis von Donausschingen in Germany. She made no impact as a broodmare.
Background
Nun Nicer was a bay mare bred by her owner John Blundell Maple at his Childwick Stud in Hertfordshire. During her racing career he was handled by Maple's private trainer William Waugh at the Falmouth House stable in Newmarket, Suffolk. She was described as a "beautiful filly, clean, wiry, bloodlike" but "light and short of substance". Waugh stated after her first season that "she always eats up and has never been amiss but she's of a restless temperament and we can't get flesh onto her". Her name attracted some criticism, being described by one journalist as "absolutely banal", but did not prevent at least one little girl in England being given the name "Nun Nicer" by her parents in 1898.
She was the best horse sired by Common, who won the Triple Crown for Maple in 1891 but was not a success as a breeding stallion. Nun Nicer's dam Priestess was a half-sister to Mimi (1000 Guineas and Epsom Oaks) and a good racehorse in her own right, winning the Somerville Tattersall Stakes against male opposition in 1891. Priestess' other female-line descendants included Vatellor, who sired Pearl Diver and My Love. Maple had purchased Common and Priestess for 15,000 guineas and 4,000 guineas respectively.
Racing career
1897: two-year-old season
Nun Nicer began her racing career in the spring of 1897, running promisingly on her racecourse debut before winning the Bedford Plate at Newmarket Racecourse. In her first major race, Nun Nicer started at odds of 100/12 for the Royal Plate over five furlongs at Kempton Park Racecourse on 14 May and finished third behind the gelding Chon Kina and the colt Dielytra. At Manchester Racecourse on 9 June the filly started at odds of 7/1 for the Breeders' Foal Plate and won by a length from the favourite Longtown having taken the lead two furlongs from the finish. At Royal Ascot later that month she finished second to the colt Cyllene in the Triennial Stakes.
In the autumn edition of Manchester's Breeders' Foal Plate on 23 September Nun Nicer was beaten half a length by Wildfowler, a colt who went on to win the 1898 St Leger. Six days later at Newmarket Racecourse the filly won the Hopeful Stakes, beating the odds-on favourite Cap Martin. On 21 October at Sandown Park Nun Nicer was assigned top weight of 131 pounds and ran second to the colt Ninus (to whom she was conceding 12 pounds) in the Great Sapling Plate. On her only other start of the year she was unplaced when 4/1 second favourite for the Free Handicap at Newmarket.
1898: three-year-old season
On Friday 29 April 1898 Nun Nicer contested the 85th edition of the 1000 Guineas over the Rowley Mile at Newmarket and started the 11/2 joint-favourite alongside St Ia. The best fancied of the other thirteen runners were Airosa, Lowood and Ayah. Ridden by Sam Loates she was restrained towards the rear of the field as her stablemate Royal Footstep contested the early lead with St Ia. Entering the last quarter mile Nun Nicer moved up into third place behind Airs and Graces and Alt Mark who were racing on opposite sides of the course. She took the lead inside the final furlong and won by a length from Airs and Graces with Alt Mark three-quarters of a length back in third.