2o6 The Life of Fred Archer 
His best friends had implicit faith in Archer's honesty, and 
amongst those who wrote to him were Lord Grosvenor, who 
said : 
" Saighton Grange, Chester, 
"December 31, 1883. 
" Archer, 
"I see that there is a rumour going about that Lord 
Falmouth is going to give up racing, and that Mr. Dawson is 
going to train no longer. I am sure I hope there is no truth 
in this, for I think that no two men are more wanted on the 
Turf than they are just now. If it is true, I hope that you 
may succeed Dawson, and that at the same time you will not 
give up riding for training, as it seems to me there are very 
few jockeys now. Anyhow, I hope you will keep on riding 
for the Duke, and not forget me when you can ride Repi, 
who, I hear, cannot do better. 
" I have been very unwell lately, or should have written 
earlier. Please send me an answer to this. 
" Grosvenor. 
" I wish you many happy New Years." 
In Mrs. Coleman's scrapbook there is a letter dated 
January 24 from the Duke of Westminster thanking Archer for 
his letter of sympathy on the death of Lord Grosvenor. 
It was in 1883 that an important chapter was written in 
Turf history, because it saw the introduction to racing of St. 
Simon, whom Mathew Dawson bought for 1,600 guineas at 
the sale of Prince Batthyany's horses. Both Dawson and 
Archer, as has been said, thought St. Simon was the fastest 
and best horse they ever knew. " Whether the Saint was a 
real stayer I never knew," once remarked Dawson, " for 
nothing could go fast enough to make him tire himself." 
Dawson thought that Ladas was the best-looking horse 
he ever saw, and he once said, "St. Simon could beat such as 
