Arkle

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This article is about Arkle, the racehorse. For the mountain in Sutherland, Scotland, see Arkle (hill).

Arkle
Arkle on a 1981 Irish postage stamp
Sire:	Archive
Grandsire:	Nearco
Dam:	Bright Cherry
Damsire:	Knight of the Garter
Sex:	Gelding
Foaled:	1957
Country:	Ireland
Colour:	Bay
Breeder:	Mary Baker at Ballymacoll Stud
Owner:	Anne, Duchess of Westminster
Trainer:	Tom Dreaper
Record:	35: 27-2-3
Earnings:	₤95,198
Major Racing Wins & Honours & Awards
Major Racing Wins
Irish Grand National (1964) Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup (1964) Cheltenham Gold Cup (1964, 1965, 1966) Gallagher Gold Cup (1965) Massey Ferguson Gold Cup (1966)
Racing Awards
Timeform rating: 212
Honours
Arkle Challenge Trophy at Cheltenham Song 'Arkle' by Dominic Behan Republic of Ireland postage stamp (1981)
Infobox last updated on: January 26, 2007.

Arkle (19 April 1957 - 31 May 1970) was a famous Irish racehorse. A bay gelding by Archive out of Bright Cherry, his grandsire was Nearco. Arkle was bred by Mary Baker at Ballymacoll Stud near Naul, County Dublin.

Owned by Anne Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster, Arkle was trained by Tom Dreaper at Greenogue, Kilsallaghan in County Dublin, Ireland and ridden by Pat Taaffe. Arkle became the first racehorse in Britain to capture public attention outside racing circles.

Arkle is regarded as one of the greatest National Hunt horses of all time. At 212, his Timeform rating is the highest ever awarded to a steeplechaser. Only Flyingbolt who was also trained by Tom Dreaper had a rating anywhere near his (210). The third highest is Mill House on 191. Despite his career being cut short by injury, he still amassed three Cheltenham Gold Cups - the Blue Riband of steeplechasing.

His first victory in Cheltenham was the predecessor of the current Royal & SunAlliance Chase which he won by a staggering 20 lengths. The great Mill House beat him in their first meeting - at Newbury - with Arkle slipping a few fences out, but at the Cheltenham festival in 1964, Arkle beat Mill House by five lengths to claim his first Gold Cup. Such was the superiority of these two horses that only two other horses were entered.

The racing authorities in Ireland took the unprecedented step in the Irish Grand National of devising two weight systems - one to be used when Arkle was running and one when he wasn't. Arkle won the 1964 race by only one length but had carried two and half stones more than his rivals.

The following year's Gold Cup cemented Arkle's status when he crushed his rivals by 20 lengths (again he faced Mill House and two other rivals). In the 1966 renewal he was the shortest priced favourite in history to win the Gold cup, at odds of 1/10. He won the race very easily despite a shocking mistake early in the race.

Arkle won 27 of his 35 starts and won at distances from 1m 6f up to 3m 5f. Legendary racing commentator Peter O'Sullevan has called Arkle a freak of nature - something unlikely to be seen again. His jumping ability meant that he never fell over fences, an extremely rare feat.

Besides winning three consecutive Cheltenham Gold Cups (1964,5,6) and the 1965 King George VI Chase Arkle triumphed in a number of important handicap chases including the 1964 and 1965 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup (both times under 12-07), the 1965 Gallagher Gold Cup (conceding 16lbs to the David Nicholson ridden Mill House), Whitbread Gold Cup (under 12-07) and the 1966 Massey Ferguson Gold Cup. In the 1966 Hennessy he only failed by 1/2 length to give Stalbridge Colonist 35 lbs. The scale of the task Arkle faced is shown by the winner coming second and third in the two following Cheltenham Gold Cups, while in third place was the future 1969 Gold Cup winner, What A Myth.

In December 1966 Arkle raced in the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park but struck the guard rail with a hoof when jumping the open ditch, which resulted in a fractured pedal bone; despite this he completed the race and finished second. He was in plaster for 4 months after that, made a good enough recovery to go back into training and actually made it to a racecourse but did not run. He was retired and ridden as a hack by his owner; and then succumbed to what was variously described as advanced arthritis or possibly brucellosis, being put down at the early age of 13.

Arkle became a national legend in Ireland. His strength was jokingly claimed to come from drinking Guinness twice a day. At one point the slogan Arkle for President was written on a wall in Dublin. Often referred to simply as "Himself", the story goes that he received items of fan mail addressed to 'Himself, Ireland'. Former Nottinghamshire and England cricketer Derek Randall known for his exceptional pace while fielding was nicknamed 'Arkle'.

The government-owned Irish National Stud, at Tully, Kildare Town, Co. Kildare, Ireland has in its possession the skeleton of Arkle. The skeleton is on display in the museum.