THE DAYS OF MY YOUTH 15 



Padwick and Day were, however, hopeful if not 

 satisfied. It was provisionally arranged that 

 Wells was to ride the filly in the City and Sub- 

 urban, and that I was to have the mount in the 

 Metropolitan, because Wells could not go to 

 scale at less than 6 st. or thereabouts. 



Meanwhile Virago was tried. There is a 

 conflict of testimony with regard to the trial. 

 William Day (son of John) states in one of his 

 books that the filly was galloped with the five- 

 year-old Little Harry at 10 lb., and beat him 

 easily over two and a quarter miles. He further 

 tells us that he himself rode Little Harry, who that 

 year won the Ascot Stakes carrying 8 st. 7 lb. 

 On the other hand, George Hodgman declares 

 that William Day*s version of the trial is in- 

 accurate. He maintains that, apart from John 

 Day, his friend George Lambert was the only 

 man who ever knew the facts, and proceeds to 

 quote a letter Lambert wrote to him in January 

 1 90 1. It reads : 



Virago was tried, when a two-year-old, one mile, 

 and old John Day thought her better than Crucifix. 

 Little Harry tried her for the two Epsom events. The 

 weights I never knew before the Goodwood Cup. She 

 was tried as follows : 



Virago, 8 st. 7 lb., 3 years. 

 Little Harry, 7 st. 7 lb., 5 years. 



Little Harry won by a neck. The old man told me 

 this as they started for the Cup. Mr, Padwick never 

 knew it — nor any one else. 



