28 NOVEMBER 1987, Page 29

Better tribute

Sir: Since racing is about betting, a fact that Lester Piggott fully understood, I think he — a taciturn man — would prefer, to all the scolding and tearful cant waffled out by Jeffrey Bernard and others, the lapidary tribute paid by Lord Marcus Beresford to Fred Archer when he shot himself just over a century ago: 'Backers have lost the best friend they ever had.'

W. E. Armstrong

16 Rue Thiers, 64100 Bayonne