172 The Life of Fred Archer 
was a very quick horse off the mark, and Custance, who over- 
heard what Archer said, jumped on his back at once, knowing 
that George was walking on foot to the post, caught him up, 
and told him what he had heard Archer say. Fordham simply 
smiled and said, " All right." 
Custance says he never saw anyone get into such a muddle 
as poor Fred did on that occasion. He was giving a stone 
away to a horse that had a fine turn of speed, and he had only 
one chance, to wait and come with one run near the winning, 
post. However, through Fordham "kidding" him that he 
had the best of the start. Archer made too much use of his 
horse with the worst of the weight. Instead of being half-way 
home, Reputation tired, and Fordham got up on the post and 
won by a neck. Poor Archer told Custance that he could 
always make out what every other jockey was doing, but he 
never could understand what Fordham was up to. 
After Archer's death Rapier, in the Illustrated Sporting and 
Dramatic News of November 27th, 1886, quoted from a letter 
from the late Duke of Beaufort : 
" About poor Archer, he was strong on all points as a 
jockey. He had wonderfully good judgment, quickness to 
seize an opportunity, or patience to wait for one if he was shut 
in and could not get through. Every now and then he made 
a mistake, no doubt, but he always said that he had done so 
and would speak of it : and he made fewer mistakes than any 
jockey I ever saw. 
" He was quite equal to Sam Chifney, Jem Robinson, Frank 
Butler, Nat Flatman, Bill Scott, Alfred Day, G. Edwards, 
Tom Chaloner, Custance, French, Aldcroft, Sam Rogers, 
George Fordham, Tom Cannon, the poor fellow Constable, 
who died a few years since, or any other jockey I ever saw, and 
superior to most of them. 
" There were several horses no one else could win upon. 
" His race on my colt, BelisariusII. at Newmarket, on Friday, 
October 29th, when he beat Grandison and Devil's Hoof, was 
