The Life of Fred Archer 133 
whom they called "The King of the Cotswolds," went to stay 
with Archer, the jockey made him have a ride on St. Simon, 
so that he could say he had been on the back of such a famous 
horse. 
A match in which the then Prince of Wales was interested 
was one of the events of that year, and recalling it long 
afterwards, Sir Beaumont Dixie, writing to his cousin, the 
late Sir Willoughby Maycock, said : 
" Poppleton Court, York. 
"June 13, 1914. 
" My Dear Willoughby, 
" Thanks for yours received yesterday. Yes, I 
was pretty good pals with Freddy Archer in the seventies 
and early eighties, and when he always used to ride for me 
when he could do the weight, but in the matter of personal 
anecdotes of him I am afraid I cannot help you. You see, he 
died in November, 1886. This is a very long time to remember 
anything particularly. He rode my horse Kismet in my 
memorable match with Markey Beresford's Caramel in '79 — 
T. Cannon up, for £500 a side, Rous Course, and won in a 
canter, and before the race he said he could d — n well carry 
the other ! The match was made after dinner with H.R.H., 
and I wanted it to be for a thousand ; but he stopped it and 
said it must not be for more than a monkey, and so, of course, 
this was the sum run for, 
" I was very much about with Freddy, and he used to dine 
with me, a sardine and half a glass of the boy being his lunch 
for fear of increasing weight. You will, of course, remember 
he was a terribly hard swearer, and a terror to all other Jocks ; 
but then he was a spoilt child and could do exactly as he pleased ! 
If your acquaintance does not know it by any chance, when 
compiUng his life, the Derby of 1880 should not be forgotten, 
won by the most wonderful superhuman effort. Freddy beat 
