George William Archibald, an exceedingly pleasant man, of a quiet and reserved disposition, was born on April 24, 1890 in San Francisco, California. He won the Kentucky Derby of 1911 on Meridian before seeking his fortune in Germany, moving, that year, to Hoppegarten.
From 1911 to 1914, he rode for the Stud Sclenderham, owned by Simon Alfred von Oppenheim.
From 1915 to 1917 he rode for Richard Haniel Stables.
He became Champion Jockey of that country before returning, in 1917, to
America shortly before the war. He was advised by the American Ambassador to Germany that he could return to Berlin, which he did, remaining there until America’s entry. He escaped to Austria in a car supplied by Prince Hohenlohe, for whom he had ridden.
Though interned there, he was eventually allowed to go to Switzerland, then Spain. He came to England in 1922 and rode for Newmarket trainer Philip Gilpin. He was aboard that year's 2,000 Guineas winner, St Louis, and rode the King’s colt Runnymede to victory in the July Stakes. He also won the Goodwood Stakes for the King (London Cry) and six races on the season’s leading 2-y-o, the temperamental Town Guard in 1922. Town Guard was expected to win the Derby the following year, but he gave an inexplicably poor display. A last minute mount in the 1923 Cesarewitch – on Rose Prince – proved fruitful.
Constant wasting and steam-bathing took its toll and, on the first day of the 1927 Craven Meeting at Newmarket, April 5th – despite suffering severe stomach pains - he took five rides, four of them for a new patron. Aged 37, he died suddenly at his home – Vaucluse, Bury Road, Newmarket - later that day. He was buried on Friday April 8 in the Newmarket Memorial Cemetery. All the shops in the High Street had their blinds drawn, and stable lads stood three deep, bareheaded.
A service without music was held at St Agnes Church. The mourners included jockeys Joe Childs, Steve Donoghue and Charlie Smirke
George left effects of £3,426, 1s. 0d. to his widow Claire (Klara) Hamel Archibald, who had been born on 1 October, 1894, in Berlin.
George Archibald’s first winner in England came on Paragon, top-weight for the 1922 City & Suburban Handicap at Epsom on April 19th. Starting at 5/1 second favourite, Archibald won by a comfortable three-parts of a length, watched by the King and Queen who were there to see the King’s colt, Bowood, compete in the same race.
Archibald rode the grey flying filly, Mumtaz Mahal, to victory in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York in 1924.
George's wife, Rusty, died on August 17, 2006, after a long battle with lung cancer. She was 88.
Born in England on Christmas Day she was, in 1957 , the first woman to ride as 'exercise lad' at the Middleburg Training Centre, shortly after her family emigrated from England to Ontario.
Her grandfather, George, trained Grand National winner Sergeant Murphy (1923) and Triple Crown winner Rocksand.
She separated from George in 1971 following which she joined Alcoholics Anonymous.
George's son - George William Junior, born on 2 April 1915 in Oakland, California - became an apprentice jockey and won on the 9/4 favourite Mittagong at Newmarket on September 30th, 1930. He became apprenticed to the Newmarket trainer Reg Day. he served in the Army during the War and was mentioned in dispatches. Other good horses he rode included Golden Miller, Savon, Kilstar, Golford and Acceleration. He came third in the 1939 Grand National on Kilstar.
