Posted: 25th July 2024 | Back to news feed
To mark the 150th anniversary of the year that the legend Fred Archer became a champion jockey, a one-off guided tour on 4 September 2024 has been introduced by Discover Newmarket. The tour will explore the close ties between Archer, the Frankie Dettori of the Victorian era, and Newmarket, the home of British racing. Joining the guided experience will be his great granddaughter, Diana Reynolds, who is an expert on Fred Archer’s fascinating yet short life, a man described as ‘the best all-round jockey that the turf has ever seen.” Among the highlights will be a visit of Sir Mark Prescott’s yard, Heath House Stables, where Archer began as an apprentice, and a guided visit by trainer James Fanshawe of his Pegasus Stables, formerly Falmouth House which Archer built as a trainer’s yard.
With natural good looks, adored by the public internationally and feted wherever he went, Fred Archer is renowned for having been the first ever celebrity jockey. Hugely successful, he rode nearly 3,000 winners between 1870 and 1886 and was Champion Jockey for 13 successive years. His string of big race victories included five Derby wins, four Oaks victories and six wins in Britain’s oldest Classic, the St Leger.
From his great granddaughter, visitors will hear the racing legend’s story which began in Newmarket in 1868 and that ended in tragedy in 1886 when he was just 29. Heartbroken and unwell following weight-related issues, Archer took his own life, having suffered the loss of his wife, 23-year-old ‘Nellie’ during childbirth. His estate, which amounted to some £9.2 million in today's money, was left to his daughter, also called Nellie. While his death was premature, his short life nevertheless left a lasting legacy on the town, with, for example The Tin Man – the champion jockey’s nickname – enjoying success on the racecourse today, and with a street named after him, the Fred Archer Way running parallel to the High Street.
The tour will visit All Saints Church, where Fred Archer married his sweetheart Helen (Nellie) Dawson, as well as the Newmarket Cemetery where Archer’s stone cross still stands, marking the grave where he was buried alongside his wife and son. Then it is up to the famed Newmarket training grounds where Archer, and many racing legends since, practiced each morning. Visitors will get to see some of the town’s equine residents going about their daily exercise and learn about the history of the gallops, including how they came to be and their use today.
After morning coffee, it is off to visit Pegasus Stables, formerly Falmouth House, which Archer built in 1882, and named after his principal patron, Lord Falmouth. Enjoy a tour of this historic yard by owner, James Fanshawe, who has been training there since 1988.
Next, visit Heath House, the former home of the highly regarded trainer of his day Matthew Dawson under whom Archer began his apprenticeship at the tender age of 11 years. Archer lived at these stables until he married Dawson's niece, Helen in 1884. Here, visitors will enjoy a rare behind-the-scenes tour with another racing legend, Sir Mark Prescott who has been training from this beautiful and historic yard since 1970.
Then it’s back to the National Horseracing Museum where the memorabilia relating to Fred Archer can be seen, including the gun with which he shot himself. Afterwards, Fred Archer fans can use their £6 voucher towards lunch in the Tack Room, the museum’s onsite restaurant, and explore the rest of this impressive Museum’s five-acre site.
Tickets for the Fred Archer Tour on Wednesday 4 September cost £120 per person and are bookable with Discover Newmarket (discovernewmarket.co.uk or 01638 501122), the town’s official tourism service.
Fred Archer’s great granddaughter, Diana Reynolds, who wrote Just One More Smile: Fred & Helen Archer’s Tragic Love Story, will sign copies of her book in the National Horseracing Museum’s shop at the end of the tour.
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