Фредерик Джеймс Арчер: Виктория дәуірінің жокейі

English jockey (1857–1886)

Frederick James Archer (11 January 1857 – 8 November 1886), also known by the nickname The Tin Man, was an English flat race jockey of the Victorian era, described as "the best all round jockey that the turf has ever seen". ), made up of retainers, gifts from owners and gamblers, and nearly £2,500 in riding fees. Archer's win on Dutch Oven in the St Leger caused controversy. It had been presumed that the filly had not stayed the distance when losing the Great Yorkshire Stakes at York, so she was sent off at odds of 40/1 for the Leger. When she won, Archer was accused of pulling the horse at York to get longer odds for the Leger. In fact, Archer had not wanted to ride Dutch Oven in the race at all, preferring the John Porter trained Geheimniss. Falmouth withdrew from racing in 1883. It has been suggested that this was prompted by a suspicion that Archer pulled Galliard in the Derby, being beaten into third by St Blaise and Highland Chief. Archer was accused of not showing the same will to win that he had on Bend Or or Iroquois, and Highland Chief was trained by his brother Charles, which seemed to be circumstantial evidence of his guilt. Against this, Fred had no previous history of helping his brother in this way, and Charles had once sent him through the rails when riding against him. It seems highly unlikely Archer would have thrown the Derby in this way. Retainers with the Duke of Portland and Lord Hastings brought him a combined £2,000 per year, the Duke of Westminster £1,000, and Lord Alington £500. He married Rose Nellie Dawson, eldest daughter of John Dawson, on 31 January 1883 at All Saints' Church in Newmarket. It was called the celebrity wedding of the decade.]] Archer "captured the public imagination as no other jockey had ever done". In his early career he was known as a severe rider, who was not sparing with whip and spurs on the horse. This was a style he may have adopted under the influence of stable jockey Tom French. He was always first down to the start, so as to get the best starting place and was obedient to the starter, unlike some other jockeys. He was always quick away, "like a greyhound from the slips". He would let his horse's head hang loose, and get the horse going with a touch of the spur.) by the time of his death challenges the perception of acquisitiveness, which may have been partly cultivated. He seemed to take perverse satisfaction in it. He is reputed to have asked bystanders for coins he could put in his breeches to increase his weight when he was short a few pounds for his race, only never to return them. But he could also be generous. He was also known to throw a ball for colleagues each winter, and once, before a trip to America in November 1884, he left a blank cheque for his friend Herbert Mills, in case he was in need. He was a reckless gambler, with losing runs bringing him close to running out of cash, but he always maintained his integrity, sometimes winning against his own money.

Trainer John Porter said of Archer, "His whole heart and soul were in the business he had in hand. He was almost invariably the first to weigh out, the first at the starting post, the first away as the flag fell, and, as the record shows, very often the first to pass the winning post. I am afraid he was not too scrupulous. Very masterful, he generally had pretty much his own way, especially in minor races. If he did not want a horse to run, he never hesitated to suggest to the owner he should keep the animal in the stable that day. In short, Fred Archer was a powerful personality as well as a brilliantly successful jockey." Another trainer, John Osborne Jr., said, "He became so conceited that no man believed more in Mr Archer than Fred Archer the jockey", but this was not a universal opinion. In 1879, The World newspaper wrote: "a very large income, the unbounded confidence of employers and public might help to turn less ordinary heads, but Fred Archer quietly goes his own way and studies diligently to improve his calling". And after his death, George Lambton said, "Even when quite a boy he was courted and flattered by every kind of man and woman, and early in life he became the idol of the public and yet he never suffered from that prevalent and disagreeable complaint, 'swollen head'. I think the shrewd, hard common sense of Mat Dawson, for whom he had the greatest affection and respect, was a great help to him." Dawson was not entirely complimentary about him, calling him "that damned, long legged, tin scrapping young devil".