The original great Australian stayer often walked 249 kilometres home after racing

Archer "The Bull" was sired by the successful imported sire William Tell (GB) (1843, by Touchstone); his dam, Maid of the Oaks (dam of Mariner and William Tell) (1855) was by Vagabond (GB) (by Cain). Archer's sire and dam had been owned by Thomas Molyneux Royds of Ballalaba, New South Wales. "Tom" Royds formed a breeding partnership with his uncle-in-law Andrew Badgery, keeping their many horses on the Badgery managed Exeter Farm. For £51 Royds bought the mare Maid Of The Oaks at the dispersal of Charles Smith's Clifton Stud in 1845. Royds also imported the stallion Sailor By The Sea, and in February 1847 the stallion William Tell. Archer's full-sister, Our Nell, won three races in four days at the Goulburn races (1855) and other races at city tracks.

As part of an inheritance agreement, the progeny (including Archer) bred to William Tell and other stallions, were recorded in the stud books under the breeding partnership name of (RH) Hassell and (TJ) Roberts. The names of the two boys to whom the horses had been bequeathed. Newspaper archives of the day state that Archer travelled south from Sydney to Port Melbourne on the steamboat, City of Sydney with two of Etienne de Mestre's other horses Exeter and Inheritor, leaving on 18th September 1861 and arriving at Port Melbourne on 21st September. Archer travelled by steamboat from Sydney to Melbourne all three times that he raced in Victoria (in 1861, 1862 and 1863). Before railway facilities linked Melbourne to the other states, the only way to transport horses from state to state was by boat. In 1876 de Mestre's entry in the Melbourne Cup, Robin Hood and ten other horses were lost at sea when the City of Melbourne was struck by a severe storm off the coast at Jervis Bay. Of all the enduring legends of the turf, the most imperishable is the tale of Archer's 850-kilometre odyssey from Nowra to Flemington to win the inaugural Melbourne Cup in 1861 - it never actually happened.

Archer was three years old when de Mestre began his training at Terara (near Nowra) in May 1860. Nicknamed "The Bull" by locals, Archer was considered large for a three-year-old; he stood 16.3 hands with powerful hindquarters, a deep girth, well-sprung ribs and a good head and neck. He was a big horse with a funny running style and tended to hang his tongue out. Archer was lightly regarded after he ran badly in his first two races at Randwick in late May 1860. However, at the spring meeting later that year and the autumn meeting of 1861 he was undefeated in seven New South Wales starts. The inaugural two-mile Melbourne Cup on 7th November 1861 at Flemington was an eventful affair. Three of the seventeen starters fell during the race (two of them died); two jockeys sustained broken bones; one horse bolted off the course, but the race continued. At the final turn, the favourite, Mormon, made his run but Archer caught and passed him. Before a crowd of about 4000, Archer defeated Mormon by six lengths in a time of 3:52.0 – the slowest time in Melbourne Cup history. In the first Melbourne Cup Archer won for de Mestre, his prize was the sweepstake, 710 gold sovereigns (£710) and a trophy (a hand-beaten gold watch).

On 13th November 1862, Archer won his 2nd Melbourne Cup (£810) carrying 10 st 2 lb (64 kg) at 2/1 odds in a time of 3:47.0. The race, held before a crowd of about 7000 (nearly double the previous year's crowd), had twenty starters – the largest field of horses ever to start in Australia at that time. Again it was an exciting race; Cutts initially reined Archer back so that he was running last by several lengths, and appeared to be out of the running. He then gradually passed his opponents until reaching the leaders, when the long-striding horse galloped into first place. Archer won by eight lengths, with Mormon again running second. His winning margin is the Melbourne Cup record, unmatched until 1969 by Rain Lover. Winning the Melbourne Cup twice was a feat not repeated until Peter Pan collected dual Cups more than 70 years later in 1932-1934. Two days later, Archer won the one-mile All-Aged Stakes at Flemington. Archer, Exeter and de Mestre arrived back in Sydney on the steamer Wonga Wonga on 29 November.

Brought to Sydney to prepare for the September Metropolitan Cup at Randwick Racecourse, Archer was seriously injured a month before the race during a veterinary treatment on 10th August 1864. He survived, and resumed training as soon as possible; however, he was ultimately scratched from the race. At the conclusion of the Randwick meeting, Archer was retired and returned to his owners Hassell and Roberts on Exeter Farm at Jembaicumbene, near where he had been foaled. This involved a rail trip from Sydney to Campbelltown, and an overland trip of 155 miles (249 km). The champion commenced a slow journey home to rest. Undoubtedly, the champion horse commanded a price as a stud, fetching the highest stud fees at the time. A fatal inflammation of the lungs while in a field of green barley brought an unfortunate end to Archer at the age of 16, on 22 December 1872. A bronze statue of racehorse Archer is due to be built in Nowra after eight years of fundraising.

RACE RECORD - 17-12-0-3

Randwick Plate (1860 & 1861)

Stewards Purse (1860)

Australian Plate (1861)

Maitland Town Plate (1861)

Melbourne Cup (1861 & 1862)

Melbourne Town Plate (1861)

AJC Queens Plate (1862)

All-Aged Stakes (1862)