2o8 FLAT RACING. 



slacken speed, but he maintained the same pace and beat the 

 favourite by a few yards. We can say with confidence that 

 he won this race by his l^nowledge of pace. 



Fred. Archer gave a grand performance by winning the 

 Grand Prix of Paris on Paradox. He did not fail for an 

 instant in fine horsemanship, coolness and cleverness. At 

 first he remained behind his field, but towards the end he 

 drew up alongside Reluisant, who had won the Chantilly 

 Derby, and was his only formidable opponent. , He stuck 

 close to him, and although he saw that Reluisant could go 

 no faster, he kept with him until close to the winning- 

 post, and then won by a neck. This victory shows us only 

 a part of Archer's talent. The thing which was best about 

 him and which made him a great master, was his seat. 

 He sat well into the saddle, and rode with long stirrups. 

 When he raised himself on his stirrups, his seat grazed the 

 saddle. 



His seat had no resemblance to the strange, if not ridiculous 

 position which many jockeys adopt, and which some of them 

 exaggerate to such a degree that we could place a hat between 

 them and the saddle.* Archer always sat like a horseman, 

 with his horse enclosed between his hands and legs. 



In short distance races, he was unjustly said to be tricky at 

 getting off first. At the moment when the starter lowers his 

 flag, the majority of jockeys are content to slacken the reins 

 and let the horses go off as they like or as they can. Archer 

 left nothing to chance, and he ruled his horse like the true 

 horseman that he was. Having always his legs close to the 

 horse's sides, he surprised the animal at the moment of 

 starting by a vigorous pressure of the legs, and instantly put 



* Jockeys, of whom the majority sit badly, do not now ride in a "triangle,'' 

 as people formerly said, with the reins, saddle and stirrups as their three points 

 of support. If this style has left the turf, it is still unfortunately employed in 

 hacking. 



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