Younger readers may not be familiar with the name of Frederick James ‘Fred’ Archer (11 January 11, 1857 – November 8, 1886) but, for an all too brief period during the late nineteenth century, he dominated British Flat racing in the same way as Lester Piggott a century later. Born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Archer was apprenticed to Newmarket trainer Matthew Dawson as a ten-year-old and became champion jockey for the first time in 1874 winners

 

Archer headed the list of winning jockeys in every subsequent season until his untimely death in 1886. By the end of his career, ‘The Tin Man’, as he was popularly known, had ridden 2,748 winners in Britain, including 21 Classic winners and it was not until 1933 that Gordon Richards, latterly Sir Gordon Richards, beat his record of 246 winners in a single season.

 

Like Lester Piggott, Fred Archer was unusually tall for a jockey at 5 foot 8 inches and, like Piggott, struggled desperately with his weight as he grew older. Malnutrition, Turkish baths and a reliance on a powerful laxative preparation, euphemistically known as ‘Archer’s Mixture’ ultimately took their toll on his health, but he was also blighted by a succession of personal problems throughout his life.

 

He became known as ‘The Tin Man’ because of his fondness for money, and gambling, at which he was, on occasion, spectacularly unsuccessful. He was also accused of being part of a race-fixing ring, but there is no evidence to support this. In January, 1883, he married Helen Rose Dawson, niece of Matthew Dawson, but her death during childbirth just a year after they were married, at the age of 23, plunged Archer into a deep depression from which he never fully recovered.

 

On November 6, 1886, Fred Archer returned to his Newmarket home, Falmouth House, suffering from the effects of a serious chill and high fever, which was subsequently diagnosed as typhoid fever. On November 8, suffering from delirium and depression, possibly caused by the recurrence of the anniversary of his wife’s death during his illness, Archer produced a revolver from the pedestal at his bedside and shot himself through the head in the presence of his sister, Mrs. Emily Coleman. In so doing, he brought to an end one of the most successful, yet tragic, lives on any jockey in history; he was just 29 years old.

 

Fred Archer is buried in Newmarket, Suffolk, and some of his effects, including his racing saddle and the revolver he used to shoot himself, are on display in the National Horseracing Museum in the town.

 

Since 2007, Steve Smith Eccles has been a jockey coach at the British Racing School on the outskirts of Newmarket but, in his younger days, was a highly successful National Hunt jockey. “The Ecc”, as he was fondly known, is probably best remembered as the jockey of See You Then, trained by Nicky Henderson, who won the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival three years running in 1985, 1986, 1987. An impressive achievement to say the least. However, Smith Eccles rode a total of 861 winners and, following the retirement of John Francome in 1985, occupied the No. 1 peg in the weighing room until hanging up his riding boots in 1994.

 

Despite his aristocratic name, Smith Eccles is the son of a Derbyshire coal miner and was born into a family with no previous horse racing connections. Apparently, Eccles was the surname of his grandfather, an orphan, who added the Smith in honour of the family that brought him up. His first job, with Harry Thomson Jones in Newmarket, was the result of a speculative letter by his father. Some years later, he had the distinction of riding legendary steeplechaser Tingle Creek to win at Sandown, breaking the course record in the process.

 

During his riding career, Smith Eccles developed, probably quite justifiably, a reputation for hedonism. Interviewed towards the end of his career, in 1993, he said, “OK, I’ll be known for my cavalier attitude to life, but I would like to be remembered for my riding ability and the winners I’ve ridden rather than my character.”

 

UK horse racing is of course never short of a character or two, and punters love that trait when combined with a winning attitude because ultimately it’s all about putting pounds in your pocket, finding the best odds to chance and making good at the big events, such as Eccles performances at the aforementioned Cheltenham Festival. Such an impressive and consistent performance three years running in the Champions Hurdle no doubt saw some punters cash it. It’s certainly not the first time following a jockey has resulted in good fortune for those following their rides either. Who can forget Frankie Dettori’s Magic Seven?

Popularly referred to as “Willie”, Willy Carson was born in Stirling in Scotland in 1942. A young man with a keen interest in racing, the Scottish rider embarked on a successful apprenticeship at Tupgill – North Yorkshire. Here at Captain Gerald Armstrong’s stables, Carson honed his superlative riding skills to a pencil-point. Owing to his natural talent he soon registered a win at just the age of 20.

This morale-boosting triumph in mid 1962 at Catterick Bridge Racecourse in a seven-furlong handicap for apprentices greatly catapulted Carson’s racing profile. According to the award-winning racer, the 1962 feat was a profoundly inspiring breakthrough that strengthened his passion and enthusiasm for the sport. He has stated many times that he wouldn’t have made history as a widely celebrated jockey without this career-enhancing handicap success.

As his successes continued the gifted rider was pronounced the British Champion Jockey five times, an elusive achievement clinched by very few other jockeys. Carson has also passed a whopping 100 winners within a single season.

The unmatched Scottish racer attained 3,328 wins within a relatively short but marvelously prosperous career. This overwhelming success makes Willy Carson one of the most successful jockeys, and indeed sporting celebrities  in Great Britain. No wonder Carson did well in the 11th series of ITV1’s reality show – “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!”

For his exemplary participation and matchless contribution to the British horse racing fraternity, Carson was honored with an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He has also been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Chester in 2010.

Mick Fitzgerald was born on 10th May 1970 and is now a retired Irish jockey who won outstanding acclaim throughout his illustrious National Hunt career. Although of Irish descent, Fitzgerald registered more of his wins in Great Britain than in his native land. After retirement, the soft-spoken champion jockey became a television racing presenter, a plum media position he still holds today.

With a successful career that spanned beyond 15 years, Mick Fitzgerald started riding as a boy, often practicing with Richard Lister, a locally recognised trainer in County Wexford. As his interest in horses and horse riding mounted, he further moved to Curragh to ride out for a well-known stable owner called John Hayden. Upon leaving school at 18, Fitzgerald gained weight and thus shifted to National Hunt racing.

Despite his several apprenticeships and scores of professional ties, Fitzgerald’s first sporting victories didn’t come until the 1991 and 1992 racing seasons when the talented rider attained substantial success. These important career boosting wins came from his new partnership with Ray Callow’s Duncan Idaho and Jackie Retter.

After showing promise, Mick Fitzgerald partnered with Nicky Henderson. This training deal ended up lasting right up to the very end of his prosperous career. His most spectacular wins include the Rough Quest ride to an impressive Grand National victory in 1996 and the 1999 Cheltenham Gold Cup title, which he clinched on See More Business. In interviews, Fitzgerand has hinted that his initial lack of success in Europe almost lured him out of the continent to try his luck in Australia.