As a three-year-old, racing against colts, she became the first filly to win the first two legs of the English Triple Crown: the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Derby at Epsom.

Shotover was a powerfully built chestnut filly with a white star, standing just under 15.3 hands high,[2] who was praised for her "lean and game-looking" head and "beautifully formed" legs.

As a yearling, she was bought for 1,600 guineas by the trainer Robert Peck[4] on behalf of the Duke of Westminster,[5] the "richest man in England",[6] who agreed to buy the filly after some hesitation.

[12] Although the classic generation of 1882 contained few top-class colts, there were some outstanding fillies, including St Marguerite, Dutch Oven, and Shotover's stable companion Geheimness.

Five days before the race, she appeared in the betting for the first time and was quickly backed down from odds of 25/1, attracting the attention of the sporting papers such as Bell's Life and The Sportsman.

Turning into the straight, the two leaders ran wide when Bruce shied at some flying paper and Cannon sent Shotover through the gap left on the inside to move into contention.

[15] Cannon, however, produced Shotover with a well-timed run to take the lead in the closing stages and win "cleverly" by three-quarters of a length from Quicklime with the pair well clear of the American colt Sachem, who finished strongly to take third.

[19] At the end of the meeting, she recorded a meaningless victory when she was allowed a walk-over in the Triennial Stakes[20] On September 15, she attempted to win the Triple Crown in the St Leger at Doncaster.

Reunited with Tom Cannon, who had ridden a colt called Romeo in the St Leger, Shotover settled in third place before moving up to challenge the leaders a furlong out.

[21] On her final start of the year, she ran in the Select Stakes at Newmarket in which she was required to give 10 pounds to the top-class fillies Kermesse and Nellie.

Shotover found the concession too much and finished third behind her two opponents, which dead-heated for first place (Kermesse claimed the prize money as Nellie's connections declined to take part in a run-off).

[24] Shotover was entered in the Ascot Gold Cup, but ran instead in the Triennial Stakes at the same meeting in which she finished third to the colt Palermo, to which she was conceding 19 pounds.