The Life of Fred Archer lol 
only thing he thought about was being always at the top of 
the tree. He and another jockey used to have words after the 
races. They were the best of friends at other times. I rode 
Isonomy in the Cambridgeshire, the best I ever rode, I think. 
I won the Cambridgeshire twice. One of the exciting races 
when Webb beat Archer was in the race for the Manchester 
Cup. When we were training we'd just have a lean chop and 
be off out for a long walk. Webb was the man for walking ; 
he'd think nothing of walking to Cambridge and back. But 
Archer wasted by taking medicine and Turkish baths. Fred 
did like sweet stuff. He was a one for jam and cakes. In fact, 
for anything sweet. 
" It often used to amuse me, as Archer got more and more 
famous, to see how people came and asked for plates off horses 
he rode, or for his whip. I can quite believe that there are 
nine of Eclipse's hoofs about. The lads gave away plates off 
any horse, and as for whips, we often used each other's. 
Jockeys had much more chance of cheating about weights 
and such-like in our day than they have now, and I think some 
of the best of them did it as a matter of course. Fred Archer 
was very fond of hunting, but not so fond of it as his brother 
Charlie. 
" Old Mr. Mathew Dawson always called me ' Morgie.' 
When I went to see him he would say in his Scotch sort of voice : 
' Have a glass of port, Morgie ? ' And I'd say : ' No, thank 
you.' He'd say : ' Have a glass of sherry, then ? ' and perhaps 
I'd have one. 
" I can't stand the silly names some people give to horses- 
I think Lord Falmouth chose the best names for his horses. 
Merry-go-Round and Spinaway and Lady Golightly — those are 
names one likes to think about. And Silvio. I call that a 
lovely name for a horse. I don't care to go up to the racecourse 
nowadays and see the boys riding, looking like monkeys on a 
stick. Danny Maher doesn't ride as short as the other modern 
jockeys. He found it didn't pay, and he rides fairly long. 
