1 8 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE 



her, she was unplaced. The form was manifestly 

 false, but her defeat enabled the bookmakers to 

 rejoice because they had at last " got something 

 out of Virago." That was at the York Summer 

 Meeting ; in the spring, on the same course, 

 she won the Great Northern and Flying Dutch- 

 man's Handicaps. When she reached York 

 that week we heard a rumour that an attempt 

 was to be made to poison Virago. Day was 

 taking no chances. He and Goater sat up all 

 night in a room near her box and I myself slept 

 in the box. Whether there was anything in the 

 report I cannot say ; anyhow, nothing occurred 

 in the poisoning line ; but before we got the filly 

 away from York she was run into by a trap, and 

 one of her hind legs received an injury which 

 prevented her doing any work before she went 

 to Newmarket to run in the One Thousand. 

 She was, however, so thoroughly fit when the 

 mishap occurred that her powers were but 

 slightly impaired by the enforced rest. It may 

 be, indeed, she actually benefited owing to the 

 lack of work on the training-ground. Whether 

 or not, she won the Guineas by a length, with 

 odds of 3 to I laid on her. The Goodwood and 

 Doncaster Cups were among the races she won 

 that season. As a four-year-old she began by 

 winning the Port Stakes over two miles at New- 

 market, but was beaten in her other three races, 

 finishing fourth for the Royal Hunt Cup, one 



