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ARCHERS FINESSE. Thousands of races have been won by finesse, and no jockey can possibly be in the first flight nnless ha be a diplomatist. Such was undoubt- I edly Frad Archer, who was the finest example I ever yet Been, not even excepting Fordham, and ; for thia reason that whereas old George could j tell np to the greatest nicety just what his own ; horse .was doing, he was not so observant and j keen a judge of how others were going, and this waB where Archers superiority asserted itself, as he could tell almost to a certainty how every other horse was going in a race aB well as the one he waB himself riding. We have already told the Btory of how he won many races, or rather stole them, inclnding his wonderful dis plays on The Mate and Yalonr, on which horses he won the Ebor Handicap and Manchester Cup respectively, absolutely and entirely by won drous strategy alone. Possibly he once rode a more extraordinary j race than either of these when winning the Bin-gleton Stake at .Goodwood on Trappist in 1878. As is well known, this race is decided over the New Mile. There were on this occasion five runners. TrappiBt and Dalham both carried 9 Bt. 5 lb., Lollypop 9 st. S lb., Flacida 9 st. 2 lb. and .Leopold, the other runner, 9 st. It was well known that both Lollypop and Trappist were immensely fast over five or six furlongB, but could not win in good company if asked to exceed that distance. This being the case, the race was considered a good thing for Dalham, a first class horse, capable of getting the distance. Archer had, however, worked out in his fertile brain a bold plan of campaign, but without breathing a syllable of his intentions to a soul. Neither Captain Prime, the owner of Trappist, nor Captain Machell fancied the. horse, thinking he had no chance of getting the course or beating Dalham, and bnt for Archer would not have backed him. As soon as he had weighed out Fred sought out the two captains, begging them to have a real dash on Trappist, as he had "worked out a way to beat Dalham," to use his own words. Both these gentlemen, profiting by former experience, had the pro-foundest faith in Archer; accordingly thty had a "parcel" on Trappist, backing him from nearly three timeB the odds down to 3 to 1, and whereas Dalham threatened to be an odds on chance at one time, 2 to 1 was his starting price. Undoubtedly every soul on the course who gave the matter consideration thought Archer would lay right back on Trappist, relying on one long run at the finish to utilize his marvelous speed. To the intense surprise of every one who witnessed it, including the jockeys who rode in the race, and to the horror of those immediately connected with the horse, Archer jumped off aB soon as the flag fell and went like blazes. Before the fact could be realized even, he was quite two hundred yards in front, and though at the finish his horse almost stopped and trotted he juBt kept him going, winning by three lengths.
