| Arkle | |
|---|---|
| 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, Awards and Honours | |
| Major Racing Wins | |
| 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) |
|
| 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. Nearco (1935-1957 was an Italian Thoroughbred Race horse by Pharos out of Nogara A gelding is a castrated animal &mdash in English the term specifically refers to a castrated male Horse or other Equine such as a Donkey Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Bay is a hair coat color of Horses characterized by a reddish brown body color with a black Mane, Tail, ear edges and lower Robert George Grosvenor 5th Duke of Westminster DSO TD JP DL ( April 24 1910 &ndash 19 February 1979 The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race in the United Kingdom for five-year-old and above horses The King George VI Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race in the United Kingdom for four-year-old and above horses The Irish Grand National is an annual Horse racing event which takes place at Fairyhouse Racecourse, Ratoath, County Meath in the Republic The Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup is a Grade 3 National Hunt horse race in the United Kingdom for five-year-old and above horses The Bet365 Gold Cup is a Grade 3 National Hunt horse race in the United Kingdom for five-year-old and above horses Timeform Publications is a Publishing company in Halifax West Yorkshire, England founded in 1948 to provide information to fans bettors, and The Arkle Challenge Trophy is a Grade 1 National Hunt novice chase in the United Kingdom open to horses which are five-years-old or above Cheltenham Racecourse is a Racecourse for Horse racing events located at Prestbury Park in the suburban village of Prestbury near the English Dominic Behan ( 22 October, 1928 - 3 August, 1989; Irish: Doiminic Ó Beacháin) was an Irish songwriter short Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. A postage stamp is an adhesive paper evidence of pre-paying a fee for postal services | |
Arkle (19 April 1957 - 31 May 1970) was a famous Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The Thoroughbred is a horse breed A bay gelding by Archive out of Bright Cherry, his grandsire was the unbeaten (in 14 races) flat racehorse and great sire Nearco. Nearco (1935-1957 was an Italian Thoroughbred Race horse by Pharos out of Nogara Arkle was bred at Ballymacoll Stud, County Meath by Mrs. County Meath (Contae na Mí is a county in Ireland, often informally called The Royal County Mary Alison Baker of Malahow House, near Naul, County Dublin. Naul ( An Aill, meaning "the cliff" in Irish) is a village in the administrative area of Fingal, County Dublin, Ireland. County Dublin (Contae Bhaile Átha Cliath or more correctly today the Dublin Region ( Réigiúin Átha Cliath) is the area that contains the city of Dublin
Owned by Anne Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster, Arkle was trained by Tom Dreaper at Greenogue, Kilsallaghan in County Dublin, Ireland and ridden during his steeplechasing career by Pat Taaffe. Robert George Grosvenor 5th Duke of Westminster DSO TD JP DL ( April 24 1910 &ndash 19 February 1979 Arkle became the first racehorse in Britain to capture public attention outside racing circles.
Arkle is regarded as the greatest National Hunt horse of all time. National Hunt racing is the official name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland where the horses are required to jump over obstacles At 212, his Timeform rating is the highest ever awarded to a steeplechaser. Timeform Publications is a Publishing company in Halifax West Yorkshire, England founded in 1948 to provide information to fans bettors, and Only Flyingbolt who was also trained by Tom Dreaper had a rating anywhere near his (210). Flyingbolt was a famous Racehorse. Overview Officially he is the second best National Hunt racehorse of all time after Arkle, The third highest is Mill House on 191. Mill House was an English-bred racehorse. He is considered one of the best National Hunt racing competitors in UK horse racing history but whose quality Despite his career being cut short by injury, he still amassed three Cheltenham Gold Cups - the Blue Riband of steeplechasing. The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race in the United Kingdom for five-year-old and above horses For use of the related term "Blue Ribbon" see Blue ribbon (disambiguation. The steeplechase is a form of Horse racing (primarily conducted in the United Kingdom, United States, France, and Ireland) and derives
His first victory at Cheltenham was in the Broadway Chase and it gave a promise of what was to come as he won by a staggering twenty lengths. The Royal & SunAlliance Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in the United Kingdom for five-year-old and above novices. The great Mill House beat him (and gave him 5lbs) when they first met in the 1963 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury with Arkle slipping a few fences out and finishing third. Mill House was an English-bred racehorse. He is considered one of the best National Hunt racing competitors in UK horse racing history but whose quality The Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup is a Grade 3 National Hunt horse race in the United Kingdom for five-year-old and above horses However, at the Cheltenham festival in 1964 Arkle beat Mill House by five lengths to claim his first Gold Cup (and, starting at odds of 7/4, the last time he was not to start favourite for a race). Mill House was an English-bred racehorse. He is considered one of the best National Hunt racing competitors in UK horse racing history but whose quality 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. The Irish Grand National is an annual Horse racing event which takes place at Fairyhouse Racecourse, Ratoath, County Meath in the Republic Arkle won the 1964 race by only one length but he carried two and half stones more than his rivals.
The following year's Gold Cup saw Arkle cement his status when he crushed Mill House by twenty lengths at odds of 3/10. Mill House was an English-bred racehorse. He is considered one of the best National Hunt racing competitors in UK horse racing history but whose quality In the 1966 renewal he was the shortest priced favourite in history to win the Gold cup starting at odds of 1/10. He won the race very easily by thirty lengths despite a shocking mistake early in the race where he ploughed through a fence. However, it did not stop his momentum nor did he ever look like falling. Arkle had a strange quirk in that he crossed his forelegs when jumping a fence. He went through the season 1965/66 unbeaten in five races at the absolute peak of his powers.
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. Sir Peter O'Sullevan KBE (born 3 March, 1918) was a BBC Horseracing commentator (1947-1997 and racing correspondent for the Press
Besides winning three consecutive Cheltenham Gold Cups (1964, 1965, 1966) and the 1965 King George VI Chase Arkle triumphed in a number of important handicap chases including the 1964 Irish Grand National (under 12-0), the 1964 and 1965 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cups (both times under 12-07), the 1965 Gallagher Gold Cup (conceding 16lbs to Mill House and breaking the course record by 17 seconds), and the 1965 Whitbread Gold Cup (under 12-07). The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race in the United Kingdom for five-year-old and above horses The King George VI Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race in the United Kingdom for four-year-old and above horses The Irish Grand National is an annual Horse racing event which takes place at Fairyhouse Racecourse, Ratoath, County Meath in the Republic The Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup is a Grade 3 National Hunt horse race in the United Kingdom for five-year-old and above horses Mill House was an English-bred racehorse. He is considered one of the best National Hunt racing competitors in UK horse racing history but whose quality The Bet365 Gold Cup is a Grade 3 National Hunt horse race in the United Kingdom for five-year-old and above horses In the 1966 Hennessy he only failed by half a length to give Stalbridge Colonist 35lbs. 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. Kempton Park Racecourse is a Horse racing track in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, which is a western suburb of London 16 miles 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. Guinness (ˈɡɪnɪs is a popular Dry stout that originated in Arthur Guinness ' brewery at St 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'. Derek William Randall (b 24 February 1951 Retford, Nottinghamshire) is a former Cricketer who played First-class cricket for Nottinghamshire
The government-owned Irish National Stud, at Tully, Kildare, Co. Kildare, Ireland has in its possession the skeleton of Arkle. The Irish National Stud (official name Colucht Groighe Naisiunta na hÉireann Teo (The Irish National Stud Co Kildare ( Cill Dara in modern Irish, originally derived from Cell Dara in Old Irish meaning "Church of the Oak" is a town in County County Kildare (Contae Chill Dara is an Irish County located to the southwest of Dublin in the province of Leinster. The skeleton is on display in the museum.
See also
External links
References
- Arkle - Portrait Of A Legend (video)
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