Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-24

training headquarters and Archer's prestige
aroused great deal Of public interest at
Manchester. and large portion Of the vast
crowd that turned out the day the cup
was run selected the Machell colors as
their standard. When business opened on
the race there was strong public play on
valour, notwithstanding the thousands of
pounds on Peter and the others
Great Jockeys 0eneralship.
At the appointed hour Starter /. McGeorge
took the big field Of twenty-six horses In
hand, and the parade past the hundred
thousand spectators was the usual interest
Ing prelude to the great struggle 50 soon to
take place. Archer and valour. Fordham
and Peter came In for the most attention.
And while they were filing past the bird
cage there was one man who never took
his glasses from Archer and the Irish horse.
It was Sir John Ashley. It seemed as II he
had presentiment Of Ill fortune.
A very few minutes, and fash of color
showed where Starter McGeorge had sent
track. Then the Machell coiors flashed out
IN the light. and the cry went up, ARCHER
ts making the running!"
The Manchester course Of that day was
peculiarly shaped. The part the cup was
run over was like an orange, almost more
turns than stretches, the longest straight
work In the race being less than 800 yards
in the final run to the finish.
Here was Archer's only chance to win a
long race with Splinter like Valour-to
race his mount round each Of the turns and
give him breath on the short straights.
Then start or again on the next turn, open
up gap and let the others get winded
chasing him round and round.
So well had Archer studied the course,
the capabilities Of Valour. who was mar
velously speedy round turns, and the fact
courses where straight work predominated,
that his plans worked like clockwork.
Rushing his big brown horse along in the
lead, Archer opened up a couple of lengths
of daylight that rounding the first turn be-
came half dozen, SO much faster did
Valour Skin the rails than his fol-
lowers. On the, next straight Archer eased
Valour up until the second division was al
most treading on his heels. Then away
again around the next turn like shot,
Archer let his horse stride along, opening
up another gap, as before.
A Desperate Race.
Now mile had been covered, and as VAL
our seemed as fresh as when he had start
ed, according to Capt. Machell's glasses,
that sportsman who was near Sir John Asst
ley in the bird cage was in great spirits
saying to several of his friends who had
also accepted the long odds about ValOur:
Wonderful general, that Archer! Look
at the way he is riding my horse-out there
helter-skelter likely split. in fashion that
would have earned stable jockey his dis
charge. But Archer! His seemingly cratic
and aimless riding is the result of long
study of these conditions and will probably
land each of us fortuHe on this day."
AS the field was rounding the next to the
last turn before they hit the straight run
in Peter began to move up, but while he
gained on the second division Valour went
so much the faster round the half circle
that there was all of ten lengths between
the pair.
1,ix 10 cf,o ;o1,4n L.,
before the final. saw Peter shut up half the
gap between him and Valour. And the cry
went up that Valour had quit. But the way
that horse opened larger streak of day.
light on Peter rounding the last turn show
ed that idea to be delusion, one where the
wish was father to the thought.
Here was the crucial moment Only about
300 yards straight run to the chair where
the venerable Judge Clark had for years
placed the winners and decided millions
of pounds. And Valour as they Strengthened
out was six lengths to the good with Peter
closing fast under Fordham's hand and
heel riding
So we'll did Peter answer Fordham's call
that it looked all day with Valour on whom
Archer was sitting still as if his mount
was completely done. And Capt. Machell
and his friends groaned in spirit at victory
being so near and yet SO far. Fifty yards
ours girth and Fordham relaxed his efforts
on Sir Johns crack.
Good Jockeyship Prevails.
Here was Fordham's mistake and Arch
er's opportunity. The latter had a last
bottled-up link on his horse, waiting to
use it in the final strides, and for the first
time in the race he sat down and rode
Valour for all he was worth. And it was
we'll that he did so, for under whip and
spur Peter was coming again, and as the
pair flashed past the judges chair, Valour
had only just stalled off Peter by a short
head!
1t was indeed the irony of fate to Sir
John Ashley, who had asked to step down
the jockey that would have won him. the
great race and heavy wagers. While it
was an unlocked for golden shower to Capt.
Machell, stoppedperemptorirly from scratch
ing a horse that was destined to win him
91OO,OOO ($50O,OOO). While Archer's father
in-law, Matthew Dawson and their friends
won nearly as much more.
Years afterward l met Fred Archer in
New York in midwinter. His beloved wife
had just died and on his left wrist he wore
a souvenir of her, small gold chain brace
let. He was tall, six feet, and looked like
a student rather than jockey; had very
quiet ways and did not drink except mod
erately at table.
He remained over here only until March,
when he went back for Lincoln. After a
few months he took typhoid fever, became
delirious, and while a nurse was out of the
room jumped out of the window and broke
his neck.