LIVERPOOL 121 



favourite, but he fell twice in the early part of the race 

 and jumped into the middle of the artificial brook, 

 throwing his rider some distance, but the latter was not 

 hurt, and was able to remount after a few seconds. He 

 could not, however, make up his lost ground. At the 

 distance Weathercock and Little Charlie were neck and 

 neck, and William Archer, riding a patient race, bided 

 his time till close home, and won fairly easily ; but the 

 race was the slowest ever known since low weight 

 handicapping came in ; the time was given as 1 1 minutes 

 5 seconds. Of the sixteen starters five only — the first 

 and second, together with Morgan, Rattler, and Conrad — 

 completed the course without making any mistake. 

 Little Charlie, as was his wont, hung a good deal at the 

 finish ; but in his fifth year of steeplechasing, at his 

 fourth attempt at the Grand National, succeeded in 

 winning. 



1859 



Mr.Willoughby's"HalfCaste,"6years,9St. ylb. Green . i 

 Viscount F. de Cunchy's " Jean du Quesne," 



aged, 9 St. 9 lb Lamplugh 2 



Mr. Land's "The Huntsman," 6 years, iist. 2lb. B. Land, Jr. 3 

 Twenty started. Betting : — 7 to i Half Caste ; 1 1 to i Jean du 

 Quesne; 12 to i The Huntsman. 



All jumped the first fence in good style, when 

 Xanthus (third in 1858) took up the running. Becher's 



suit of livery. He then appears to have gone to Hednesford, and while there 

 he was fairly fortunate. Subsequently William Archer went to Russia to 

 ride for the Czar, at the remuneration of ^100 per annum with board, 

 residence, and everything- found. He started in 1842, having the care of 

 sixteen English thoroughbreds. Two years in Russia were sufficient for him, 

 so he came back in 1844 and went to Mr. Bradley, with whom he had been 

 before leaving the country, and then it was that he began to ride in hurdle 

 races and steeplechases, his success in that line inducing him to settle down 

 as a steeplechase jockey in Cheltenham. Here in 1848 he won on Thur- 

 garton, beating Tom Olliver, who was riding his own horse Vanguard. 

 William Archer's eldest son, who was named after him, was killed at Cheken- 

 ham Steeplechases in 1878, while in 1862 Archer />i-re gave up riding steeple- 

 chases, his last mount being on Mr. G. Taylor's Yaller Gal. 



