412 RACING CAREER OF SIR W. H. GREGORY. 



whole stake if he won the St Leger ; but I was 

 so far disappointed in the animal that I restricted 

 myself to a single offer to take and train him, 

 paying his stakes and forfeits, and giving Ferguson 

 the St Leger if he won it, and twenty per cent of 

 any other stakes he won. 



" I left my terms in writing, and my impression 

 is they will be accepted ; but I could clearly see 

 that Messrs Ferguson and Lea's object in wishing 

 me to have the horse is to get him up to an eight 

 to one favourite, so that they might make a good 

 thing of their fifty to one bets ; which made me 

 less keen to have him. 



" With regard to the two-year-olds, both are 

 fine animals — Fireaway bearing no resemblance to 

 his half-brother Tearaway, but, on the contrary, 

 with a beautiful head and fore-hand, and capital 

 fore-legs. Goneaway is bigger than Fireaway, but 

 looks heavy and slow. 



" Harkaway is in training, and appears sound, 

 but has the most frightful leg to look at you ever 

 saw. After seeing the horses, Mr Ferguson showed 

 me into his dining-room, where I beheld one of 

 the finest Lifiey salmon ever seen smoking on the 

 table, besides various other good things, composing 

 a dinner for three. But my aristocratick [sic] pride 

 prevailed over the cravings of my belly, and I went 

 hungry away, and sought refuge in the humbler 

 and meaner fare at Harrington's of Naas. — Always 

 very sincerely yours, G. Bentinck." 



