'VIRAGO'S' SUCCESSES. 



raced with extraordinary success — such success as he 

 never had before or after, or indeed as scarcely any- 

 one else has ever enjoyed. 



It was at Findon that Virago was trained in 1853. 

 She was bought for Mr. Padwick bymy father privately 

 from Mr. Stephenson when a yearling for £300, but 

 had to go through the sale-ring at Doncaster, when 

 he once more, ostensibly, became her owner at this 

 figure or thereabouts. I remember my father saying, 

 before he bought her, that he had seen the finest 

 yearling in the world, and that he should buy her for 

 Mr. Padwick, cost what she might. He did, and she 

 turned out the best three-year-old in England, or 

 indeed in the world. She was by Pyrrhus the First, 

 out of Virginia, by Rowton. She was a beautiful, 

 rich, but rather dark coloured chestnut, with a little 

 white on her off-hind pastern, standing about sixteen 

 hands high, very powerful and lengthy ; a small and 

 generous head, with a short straight neck, but a little 

 upright in her fore-legs ; very quiet, and having fine 

 temper. Take her all in all she was a splendid mare, 

 and quite as good as she looked. She ran only once 

 as a two-year-old at Shrewsbury Autumn Meeting ; 

 winner to be sold for £80, and unplaced. I should 

 remind my readers that in those clays it was only the 

 winner that could be bought or claimed, or she would 

 not have run, as her merits were too well known at 

 the time to her party, to run the least risk of losing 

 her. As a three-year-old she commenced her victorious 



