Tin Man remembered
THIS year marks the 130th anniversary of the death of possibly the greatest jockey in history, England’s Fred Archer (pictured). The “Tin Man” won 13 consecutive British Jockey Championships and his 2,748 victories on the Flat were achieved at a phenomenal strike rate of 33,99%.
However, he was to tragically take his own life on November 8, 1886, at the tender age of 29.
Archer, born on January 11 1857 in Cheltenham, was the son of Grand National-winning jockey William Archer.
He soon proved himself an outstanding rider in local pony races and was riding with the Cotswold Foxhounds by the age of eight.
He was apprenticed to one of the leading trainers in the country, Mathew Dawson of Heath House in Newmarket, just after his 11th birthday.
Archer finished last in his first race ride at the age of 14 on the Dawson-trained Honoria in Newmarket’s historic Town Plate.
He eventually broke his duck nearly a year later on Athol Daisy at Chesterfield.
He went on to ride 21 British classic winners and in 1885 rode 246 winners, a record that wasn’t broken until Gordon Richards' 1933 season.
JR Radcliffe
Author JR Radcliffe, in his tribute to Archer, said, “As a judge of pace he was unsurpassed by any jockey of his day.
He had the finest hands, with marvellous resolution, which he had the mysterious power of communicating to the horse he rode.
This was shown in his efforts, over and over again, on moderate animals which failed in the hands of inferior jockeys, and which were successful when under his pilotage.
Never was there a more popular man or a more painstaking jockey. Hardly was he ever known to throw a chance away and though his seat was not perfect he was matchless for courage and resolution.”
However, Archer was also known for his ruthlessness.
He once apparently put his brother Charlie over the rail for daring to poke up his inside. He also reportedly used the whip without mercy.
However, his biggest enemy was his weight as he stood at nearly 5 foot ten inches. He reportedly relied on a purgative which he consumed by the glassful and virtually starved himself.
He had plenty of tragedy in his life too. His brother William was killed in a hurdle race at Cheltenham in 1878.
Archer’s first child died birth in January 1884.
His wife Nellie, who was the daughter of trainer Mathew Dawson, gave birth again later that year and all seemed well until the following day when she began suffering convulsions and died just before midnight on November 7.
Archer was bereft and was never the same again.
A couple of weeks before his death he had reportedly gone three days without food in order to make the weight of 8 stone 7 pounds for St. Mirren in the Cambridgeshire, a race which had always eluded him.
He also reportedly saturated himself with medicines and spent time in his Turkish bath.
He rode at one pound overweight in the race and lost narrowly.
However, six days later he was booked off ill and this took a serious turn. He began displaying all the symptoms of typhoid and also showed signs of deliriousness.
In an inquest the nurse and doctor who tended to him at his Falmouth House mansion reported him to be continually referring to his death.
He shot himself moment.
The jury at an inquest concluded he had been temporarily insane at the fatal moment.
There have been conspiracy about Archer’s death.
One rumour is of the Prince Of Wales offering money for anyone who could give information as he was apparently convinced Archer had been a victim of foul play.
Archer’s sister Emily witnessed his suicide, which happened suddenly and unexpectedly. She divulged his last words had been “Are they coming?” and were said while she was looking out the window.
This led some to believe gambling debts were related to his death.
He certainly did gamble in a day jockeys were allowed to and apparently lost heavily often. In fact he and his friends had reportedly lost a lot on St. Mirren in his last big ride in the Cambridgeshire.
Well known racing author Michael Tanner used the stories surrounding Archer to write a novel called The Tin Man’s Farewell.
The book focuses on the highs and lows of Archer’s final two years in which his punishing wasting regime coincides with depression and a string of betting setbacks which plunge him into huge debt. However, in reality through retainers, fees, and presents he is said to have gained over 60,000 pounds in his professional capacity and left a considerable fortune.
The only debt he actually left was to Golding, the gentleman outfitters, and this shop which is still there on the Newmarket High Street apparently still keep the bill. The gun he used to kill himself is held in the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket.
Celebrity status
Archer’s celebrity status was such that his marriage in February 1883 and his funeral in 1886 were as big as any royal equivalent.
Archer’s ghost is reportedly seen often in Newmarket riding his favourite hack, a grey called Scotch Pearl.
In another story a Newmarket amateur was cycling home after a dinner and heard the clip clop of a horse trotting down the road. When he looked back, there was no sign of anyone and the sound ceased. He later told the story to jockey Tiny White, who had beaten Archer in aforementioned Cambridgeshire. White apparently smiled and replied: “Oh that would be Fred, he goes for a ride occasionally.”
Archer’s ghost is also said to haunt the heath and has been blamed for a few racing mishaps at the Newmarket Racecourse.
This legend’s life and death are of importance today as an illustration of how necessary recent changes in the weight structure of races have been to the well being of riders.