[4] The colt raced in the colours of Norman Wachman, a boot and shoe manufacturer,[5] as well as a noted gambler,[6] and was trained by Wellesley at Castleknock, County Dublin.
[3] The Bug was never an easy horse to manage: on one occasion he escaped from the stables and ran loose around the local countryside until he was led home by a police officer who used his bootlaces to fashion a makeshift head collar.
In June he reverted to sprint distances when he ran in the Wokingham Stakes, a six furlong handicap at Royal Ascot in which he was ridden by Charlie Smirke, who became his regular jockey.
[6] The "tactics" employed on The Bug in this race were typical: he started quickly, took the lead, and had his opponents struggling to match his speed from the early stages.
After his win in the July Cup, The Bug was transferred to England for the rest of his career, joining the Newmarket stable of Marcus Marsh.
[3] In August, The Bug moved down in distance for the Nunthorpe Stakes over five furlongs at York Racecourse, where he won by one and a half lengths from the previous year's winner Golden Cloud.
In June he returned to Royal Ascot where he won the Cork and Orrery Stakes by four lengths but sustained a back injury shortly afterwards which kept him off the course until autumn.
[3] At Ascot in September he moved up in distance for the one mile Queen Elizabeth II Stakes in which he was matched against the 2000 Guineas winner Tudor Minstrel.