Stud Record
Archer was retired to stud at a fee of 10 guineas per mare (one of the highest stud fees of the time), but his progeny did not win a stakes race. He remained at Exeter Farm until his death at age 16 on 22 December 1872. He had wandered into a field of green barley, the consumption of which gave him a fatal inflammation of the lungs. Archer's jockey, John Cutts, had died three months earlier in September 1872.
Victorian craftswoman Therese Haynes was so enamoured of Archer that late in his life, she made a horseshoe ornament from his tail hair. She coiled the hair to create a horseshoe-shaped plaque, placed it in a silver setting and mounted it on red satin. Preserving relics from celebrities – a category that in Australia has often included horses – was a strong Victorian-era pastime. Today this piece of memorabilia can be found at the Australian Racing Museum in Melbourne.
Read more about this topic: Archer (horse)
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