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Harkaway's greatest performance was perhaps that of winning the 

 Goodwood Cup of 1839 (second year in succession). The distance was 

 two miles and three-quarters, and this, carrying 9st. 410., he did 

 under five minutes, and beat with the greatest ease eight of the best 

 horses in England, to all of which he gave a lot of weight, except the 

 olio king Epirus of the same age, who carried equal weight, but was 

 beaten a distance. 



It would be tedious to particularise auy more performances of this 

 marvellous horse, so I shall sum up in a nutshell his career : He began 

 as a two-year-old at the Curragh in September, 1836, between which 

 and October, 1841, he ran there 29 times, and won 19. In England he 

 ran 15 races, and won eight of them, making 27 wins out of 44 starts. 

 His last race was at the Curragh October meeting of 1841, when for 

 Her Majesty's Plate he was beaten. 



The annals of the Turf accord to Harkaway praise equal to any horse, 

 while the press of the day is unanimous in declaring he was the best 

 that ever started ; and many men, even up to now, allege that his 

 superior has never since appeared. 



He was equally good over all courses, from one to four miles, while 

 big weight made no difference to him, and carrying it he beat the best 

 horses in England and Ireland. 



From the records of the Turf we learn with regret that by reason 

 of malpractice of his owner the running of Harkaway was greatly 

 interfered with, and there remains no doubt whatever that he could 

 have won many more races than he did, perhaps every one he started 

 for. 



Ferguson, while naturally a very good-hearted, amiable man, was 

 afflicted with a violent, and at times ungovernable, temper, which could 

 not brook opposition, much less what he considered injustice, and when 

 he met with such he would give way to paroxysms of rage unrestrained 

 in violence. This infirmity made him many enemies, and brought him 

 constantly into trouble, for he cared not for class or person. In 

 fact, the more exalted in station the man might be who provoked him, 

 the more terrible was Tom's scathing vituperation. 



Towards the end of 1838, after winning the Chesterfield Stakes, he 

 had a terrible row with the Jockey Club, owing to Lord George 

 Bentinck having forestalled him in backing Harkaway, and in charac- 

 teristically forcible fashion delivered himself of the following announce- 

 ment: "I've got the Chesterfield Stakes, and I will get more, but, by 

 G — , the public must understand that Harkaway is my horse, to win 

 money for me, and not for any d— d fellow, either a lord or a lord by 

 courtesy and a thief byfhe curse of God ! " 



Lord George Bentinck offered a great price for Harkaway, and 

 several others wanted to buy him, but no money would tempt his 

 owner. To one man, who wrote to ask the price and what condition 

 the horse was in, " Choleric Tom " laconically replied, " His price is 

 6,000 guineas, and I hunt him twice a week" ! 



