SIXTY YEARS ON THE TURF 



Mr. Padwick went to Shelley and said he wished to 

 back Virago for the Chester Cup of the following 

 year ! A beaten selling plater for a Chester Cup 

 seemed a safe thing to lay in the middle of Novem- 

 ber, and Shelley betted Mr. Padwick 5000 to 75. 

 In another quarter, I think it was from Jack 

 Bennett, he procured a similar wager, and the 

 winter through her party picked up all the long 

 odds, until layers said, " Who the devil is this 

 Virago?" 



The news of the amounts she had been supported 

 for I mentioned to the late Mr. Topham, who then 

 framed the Chester Cup weights. " She's a bad 

 selling plater on the book," I said, " but according 

 to the market she's something out of the ordinary." 



This caused Mr. Topham to take care of her, and 

 when the weights were issued she had 21 lbs. more 

 than her party expected. In a fit of passion Mr. 

 Padwick (not then aware of what she was capable) 

 scratched her ; and in so doing sacrificed what to 

 many would have appeared a tremendous fortune, 

 for even with the penalty, by her Epsom successes, 

 she would have incurred Virago could not, save 

 by accident, have been beaten. She was indeed 

 a marvellous creature, winning the City and Sub- 

 urban and the Great Metropolitan (under a penalty) 

 within the space of an hour ! On each occasion she 



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