Arkle, the famous Irish steeplechaser, was arguably the first racehorse in Britain that really captured the public's attention outside racing circles, as well as for what he did so well on the track.

In the time since Arkle retired from racing, many great and famous race horses have come and gone, but almost forty years later Arkle is still regarded as the greatest steeplechaser all time, and his Timeform rating of 212 proves it.

Arkle - Where It All Began

Arkle was a little bay when he was foaled on 19 April 1957. His grandsire (grandfather) was the unbeaten flat racehorse stallion Nearco who won all 14 of his races, and so Arkle came from good stock in that regard.

Nearco fathered the not so famous and less than successful race horse sire ‘Archive’, who was Arkle's father and so it was as if the racing talents had skipped a generation. The little colt Arkle's mother (or Dam), was called Bright Cherry and she was a reasonable two mile chaser.

Arkle was bred at the Ballymacoll Stud in County Meath, Ireland by Mrs Mary Alison Baker from Naul in County Dublin.

Mrs Baker's late husband had often suggested that they pair up Bright Cherry and Archive, as despite Archive's lack of class on the racecourse, it was felt that he did possess classic breeding, and so it was proven.

Arkle And Red Rum - A Mirror Image?

And ironically, as with Red Rum some fifteen years later, so the early memories of the young colt Arkle did not exactly create the great impression that was expected. As a youngster, he was noted for his kindness, intelligence and easy going nature, but his running ability was being questioned.

And so the Bakers decided that it would be best if they sold Arkle and on the 4 August 1960, the untried three year old Arkle was put for sale at the old Goffs facility in Ballsbridge.

He was eventually snapped up by Anne Grosvenor, the then Duchess of Westminster for a sum of 1150 Guineas. Arkle was actually named after a mountain that faced the Duchess's home by Loch Stack in Sutherland.

Following this change of ownership, Arkle's new home would be in Greenogue, Kilsallaghan in County Dublin, Ireland, where he was to be kept under the watchful eye of trainer Tom Dreaper. And so this legacy would begin and this change of location would change the course of Arkle's career.

Arkle was primarily ridden during his famous steeplechasing career by jockey Pat Taaffee, who was arguably considered to be one of the best jockeys of the post war era. There were other jockeys that would ride the great horse however, including Paddy Woods, T.P.Burns, Liam McLoughlin and Mark Healy Hutchinson.

Arkle Emerges For All To See:

Once again, in a seemingly parallel story to that of Red Rum, Arkle was initially entered into flat races. After only six outings on the flat however, this soon to be famous race horse was pulled from the flat scene and would be asked to jump over hurdles.

The date was 20 January 1962, and trainer Tom Dreaper decided that he would give Arkle his first hurdle race. For his first

race over hurdles, Arkle would be ridden by jockey Liam McLoughlin and at a whopping 20/1 he arrived from almost nowhere to beat his stable-mate, the red hot favourite Kerforo, who ironically was ridden by Pat Taaffe, who would later partner with Arkle for most of his career.

Despite the defeat, it was not all bad for Kerforo, as later on that year he would go on to win the Irish Grand National.

It was soon evident that hurdling, although as accomplished as Arkle was at it, was not what Arkle was really about. For him, it was felt that National Hunt racing, and the profile and step up in class that it would provide, would be more appropriate for this famous race horse.

Arkle's first National Hunt race in Britain was the Honeybourne Novice's Chase at my local course Cheltenham, on 17 November 1962. The reason for Arkle's promotion to the National Hunt stage was based on the belief of Tom Dreaper that he would revel in the step up in class, and so it proved.

Arkle Becomes The Famous Race Horse We Know Today

It was becoming clear to anyone who watched horse racing, that Arkle was a class apart. His record was astonishing, as he won 27 of his 35 races. Below is a list of the major race wins Arkle achieved in a phenomenal career:

• Cheltenham Gold Cup (1964, 1965, 1966)

• King George VI Chase (1965)

• Irish Grand National (1964)

• Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup (1964,1965)

• Leopardstown Chase (1964, 1965, 1966)

• Whitbread Gold Cup (1965)

• Gallagher Gold Cup (1965)

• Punchestown Gold Cup (1963)

• Powers Gold Cup (1963)

So as you can see, Arkle achieved the momentous feat of being the first horse ever to win three consecutive Cheltenham Gold Cups (A feat later repeated by the great horse Best Mate), winning the race in 1964, 1965 and 1966.

He also won the Hennessy Gold Cup twice, the Whitbread Gold Cup in 1965, the King George VI Chase in the same year and the Irish GrandNational.

So much so was the superiority of this famous race horse, that the handicapping procedures had to be altered, simply to accommodate this great horse's dominance! The Irish racing authorities basically created two weighing systems; one for when Arkle was running and one for when he was not.

As previously mentioned, his 212 Time Form rating is still the highest ever awarded to a steeplechaser. Interestingly, the horse with the second highest Time Form rating is a horse called Flyingbolt (rating of 210), who was also trained by Tom Dreaper.

The top 3 rate horses of all time is completed with the addition of Arkle’s arch rival Mill House, who is rated at 191.

Arkle's Racing Career Ends Prematurely

Unfortunately for this famous horse, tragedy was to strike whilst running in the King George VI Steeplechase at Kempton on Boxing Day in 1966. It was during this race that Arkle broke his pedal bone jumping the open ditch at Kempton, and this unfortunate accident would eventually end his great career. He was in plaster for almost six months and made a very good recovery, but would never be able to race again.

He was eventually retired to the Duchess’s Bryanstown estate in County Kildare in Ireland, and during his rehabilitation he received thousands of cards and carrots, such was the immense popularity of this famous race horse. The Duchess herself was

also deeply attached to him, and would even be seen riding him in retirement. She recalled that as she would walk up to the paddock int he morning, Arkle would recognise the sound of her voice or the sound of her car.

In 1969 Arkle would travel over to England for the famous Horse of the Year Show, where he took part in the parade of personalities. This would be the last time that most people would see this great horse in public however, as unfortunately by the next spring Arkle's rheumatism, a result of the injury he suffered in his last race at Kempton, was becoming a serious problem.

He was being given regular doses of veterinary medicine, but the condition was worsening with stiffness and soreness setting in. Despite the immeasureable courage of this great horse, it was reaching a point where he could hardly stand, and so the heart breaking decision was eventually made that Arkle should be put to sleep.

And so it was on 31 May 1970 that Arkle was put to sleep, at the age of 13. During his short yet eventful life he was able to touch so many, many hearts and as well as being missed by all racing fans across Britain, he was also greatly missed by the Duchess herself.

Given this, it was decided with her permission that his remains be dug up and featured as an exhibit at the racing museum at the Irish National Stud. So his now famous skeleton was assembled as a poignant and appropriate reminder to us all of not just what an outstanding racehorse he was, but indeed he was also an Irish legend.