Career Fred Archer (jockey)

fred archer caricature in vanity fair

at suggestion of hunting acquaintance, william le terriere, archer apprenticed trainer mathew dawson @ heath house in newmarket, suffolk, home trainer mark prescott, 5 years. sources in february 1868, others day before 10th birthday. weighed 4st 11 lb. william , fred spent week there, after dawson told william, do, archer, may leave him . archer serve dawson stable jockey 1874 until 1886. marry dawson s niece, helen rose dawson.

at dawson s stable, delicate archer bullied older boys, no children of own, dawsons took him surrogate. mrs dawson called him little cat , , mr dawson relationship close father , won. fondness mrs dawson s cake , blackberry jam contributed weight gain, , on dinner weight rise 3 or 4 lb grew around 5 ft 10 and, on winter, weighted 11st. largely illiterate when left home, attended night school run mrs dawson during years there.

while @ dawson s, archer came under tutelage of dawson s right hand man jockey swift, claimed have taught archer knew, , tom french. archer evidently in high regard @ stable, receiving wages of 7 guineas compared 5 guineas typical of apprentices. 1 of fellow apprentices in fact thrown horse , killed during archer s time there. dawson demanded same discipline of archer did of other apprentices, making him stand attention visitors same other lad. aware of ability. have wonderful boy here marvellous things, commented.

because of this, , father s reputation, given race-riding opportunities. aged 12, allowed ride in newmarket town plate on 14 october 1869, on 3 year old filly called honoria. acting pacemaker stablemate stomboli, won, honoria came last. first win steeplechase @ bangor-on-dee in either 1869 or 1870 on horse called maid of trent old pony-racing acquaintance of family. first official win under jockey club rules in 2 year old nursery handocap @ chesterfield on 28 september 1870 on horse called atholl daisy. horse trained john peart @ malton, rather dawson. finished season 2 wins , 9 seconds 15 rides. other winner had been lincoln lass @ ayr.

as young jockey, there story, apocryphal archer cried because hadn t ridden both winners in dead-heat.

1870s

viscount falmouth, archer s patron, in caricature leslie ward.

archer s first important win on salvanos in 1872 cesarewitch, weighed out @ 5st 7 lb. said rode salvanos coolness , steadiness of veteran , made mark 1 of rising lightweights. when jem snowden rode against him first time, however, commented, tha cassn t ride nuts . apprenticeship ended year , dawson presented him gold watch inscribed conduct . archer in return commented, value more have , shall keep long live.

in 1873, leading stable jockey tom french sick, archer had more opportunity succeed. rode 107 winners , came second in championship harry constable. french, influence on young archer, die later year consumption, brought on excessive wasting.

the first of archer s classic wins followed next season on atlantic in 1874 2,000 guineas. made him veritable mascotte stable. after became retained jockey lord falmouth whom won on half of classics. falmouth dawson s principal owner between 1870 , 1883. archer s retainer him nominal £100. finished 1874 147 wins 530 rides. now, riding @ 6st, weight becoming problem. cesarewitch handicap, failed make riding weight of 6st 1 lb, putting 3 lbs overweight, , losing neck. archer blamed wasting taking strength away.

spinaway star filly of following season, winning 1,000 guineas , oaks double.

in 1877 won first derby, on lord falmouth’s silvio, , followed in st. leger.

1879 championship year of wheel of fortune, 1 of archer s favourite horses, thought wonderfully . small, @ 15.1 hands (61 inches, 155 cm), leading duke of portland looked polo pony archer s long legs round her. spinaway 4 years earlier, wheel of fortune won both 1,000 guineas , oaks. won yorkshire oaks in august well, prevented attempt @ triple crown when broke down going second race @ york 2 days later.

his exciting victory perhaps 1880 derby. came behind on bend or extraordinary rush , beat robert devil head. took inside of turn @ tattenham corner, along rails, nerve of iron .

by end of 1870s, struggling make 8st 7 lb.

1880s

rosa corder, fred archer, restrike etching

by 1880s, annual income around £10,000, made of retainers, gifts owners , gamblers, , £2,500 in riding fees.

archer s win on dutch oven in st leger caused controversy. had been presumed filly had not stayed distance when losing great yorkshire stakes @ york, sent off @ odds of 40/1 leger. when won, archer accused of pulling horse @ york longer odds leger. in fact, archer had not wanted ride dutch oven in race @ all, preferring john porter trained geheimniss.

falmouth withdrew racing in 1883. has been suggested prompted suspicion archer pulled galliard in derby, being beaten third st blaise , highland chief. archer accused of not showing same win had on bend or or iroquois, , highland chief trained brother charles, seemed circumstantial evidence of guilt. against this, fred had no previous history of helping brother in way, , charles had once sent him through rails when riding against him. seems highly unlikely archer have thrown derby in way.

retainers duke of portland , lord hastings brought him combined £2,000 per year, duke of westminster £1,000, , lord alington £500.

he married rose nellie dawson, eldest daughter of john dawson, on 31 january 1883 @ saints church in newmarket. called celebrity wedding of decade. whole town involved, , concluded firework display had spelled out may happy”.

in january 1884, couple s infant son, william, died @ birth. had been named after archer’s brother, had been killed in hurdle race @ cheltenham. nellie left in critical condition, recovered became pregnant again immediately. on 6 november 1884 gave birth daughter, nellie. fred received telegram birth after riding thebais victory in liverpool cup. mother again left dangerously ill after birth, symptoms of post-natal eclampsia. archer arrived home find wife dying. convulsions continued until died. archer later told friend. “she did not know me , never spoke me again.

in 1884, when first visited thirsk racecourse, arrival announced in market place town crier. year, of 377 rides, won 241.

his successful year 1885, when won 2,000 guineas on paradox, oaks on lonely, derby , st. leger on melton, , grand prix, on paradox. in final season won derby , st. leger on ormonde.

archer took sport , noted ruthlessness. in 1882 built falmouth lodge , stables (now pegasus stables).

in 1885 rode 246 winners, record wasn t broken until gordon richards 1933 season. won derby 5 times , won total of 21 classic races. in total rode 2,748 winners in 8,084 races (some sources 8,004), win percentage of on 34%.