The Life of Fred Archer 247 
Yardley Stud, near Birmingham, and was bought as a yearling 
by Captain Bowling and John Porter for 450 guineas. 
Paradox soon showed that he was out of the ordinarj^, 
and so good was his first trial, and so impressed was the Duke 
of Westminster with it, that he bought the colt for £6,000. 
He was fancied for the Middle Park Plate, but was unruly, 
and, whipping round at the post, lost so much ground 
that he could only dead-heat for third place with Royal 
Hampton, behind Melton and Xaintrailles. 
A fortnight later Paradox reversed the form with Xain- 
trailles, and easily won the Dewhurst Plate, with the latter 
third and Cora second, but in the meantime the son of Sterling 
had been purchased privately from the Duke by Mr. Brodrick 
Cloete, who also had his horses at Kingsclere. 
Paradox made his reappearance in the Two Thousand 
Guineas, but before this he had won a splendid trial in which 
he gave 21 lb. to Farewell. Odds of 3 to i were laid on Paradox, 
who only won by a head from Crafton, and the surprise of 
the Kingsclere stable can be imagined at the narrowness of 
the victory when Farewell won the One Thousand Guineas. 
The blame fell on Archer, who rode Paradox. It was said 
he ' waited ' too long, but many of the public who saw the 
race drew their own conclusions. They recognised that 
Paradox was not an easy colt to ride and wanted a good deal 
of his own way, and this was reflected in the market, for when 
Epsom came along both Melton and Xaintrailles were backed 
in front of Paradox, who was now ridden by Fred Webb, while 
Archer was on the back of Melton. 
Those who decried the riding of Archer at Newmarket had 
the chance to back their opinion at Epsom, but they were 
not at all anxious. The best description of the race has been 
written by Mr. Moorhouse, and according to him, when the 
field settled down. Royal Hampton (owned by Mr. Childwick) 
the nom de course of Mr. (afterwards Sir) Blundell Maple, made 
the running from Sheraton, Crafton, Xaintrailles, Red Ruin, 
