The Life of Fred Archer 145 
" WTiich shall the wreath of glory claim ? 
If speed make Valentino's chance 
And Fortune eye Bend Or askance. 
Well might you blindly seek his name. 
Mayhap Fate's box when shaken throws 
Robert, or what the Devil knows." 
— " Orange Blossom " in Bell's Life, May 22, 1886. 
Most people who knew Archer well and saw his many vic- 
tories acknowledge that he had three great days in his life : 
his wins in the Manchester Cup on Valour and on Bend Or 
and on Melton in the Derby. 
And this despite the fact that Mr. Richard Marsh, when asked 
to write down a few exciting tales about Archer, remarked < 
" Why, his life was one long excitement ! " 
Mr. Nat Gould, too, said that when one began to write 
about Archer, the difficulty was to know when to stop. This is 
especially the case with regard to the Derby of 1880. 
Bend Or's Derby was preceded by an event which nearly 
had a tragic ending. 
Archer had ridden a savage horse called Muley Edris, and 
he gave him some severe thrashings, which the horse did not 
forget. On May i Archer rode Muley Edris in a gallop on 
Newmarket Heath, and after dismounting threw the reins on 
his arm while he adjusted one of the " dolls " which were 
numerous on the Heath. 
Suddenly Muley Edris grabbed Archer by the arm and, 
lifting him right off the ground, commenced to carry him away. 
The savage beast had not gone far, however, when he 
dropped the unfortunate jockey and knelt on him. Archer 
was as near death as possible, but good fortune did not desert 
him, for one of the hind legs of the horse slipped from under 
him, and he rolled over. Muley Edris was soon up on his legs 
again, and, possibly frightened at the fall, bolted across the 
Heath. 
The muscles of Archer's arm were terribly lacerated, and 
for many weeks it was done up in plaster of Paris, and Archer 
not only could not ride, but became very fearful as to whether 
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