"Arkle"

WHAT DID ARKLE HAVE THE OTHERS DIDN'T?
There is no need to ponder what Arkle had that other horses did not. It's simple. He was the greatest steeplechaser. Ever. Racehorses come and go and many greats get forgotten in the mix of time. But Arkle is not likely to be one of those.

His record of 22 wins from 26 starts over fences only tells part of the story. He ran in and won three consecutive Cheltenham Gold Cups despite fierce rivalry from the best England had to offer in many a year, Mill House. What made Arkle exceptional was his ability to carry massive weights, giving many, many pounds away to other horses, only to trounce the opposition. For example, one of his greatest triumphs came at Sandown Park in the Gallaher Gold Cup, where second placed Rondetto had a whopping sixteen pounds advantage. Even with this he couldn't stay with the mighty Arkle who cruised to victory, slicing seventeen seconds off the course record in the process.

Arkle was unusual in another way too, he also won on the flat, in a 1m6f at Tipperary. There are a few chasers who manage the feat but not many.

THE BEGINNING
Arkle was bred by Mrs Mary Baker at Malahow near the Naul in Co. Dublin and foaled in the spring of 1957. He was by Archive, a forty-eight guinea stallion who had been unsuccessful on the course, out of Bright Cherry, a fair two miler. Both sire and dam can be traced back to Bend Or, the 1880 Derby winner who was ridden by another Cheltenham Hero, Fred Archer.

As a yearling he was lucky to survive when being attracted by some passing fillies he attempted to jump a barbed wire fence which effort resulted in forty stiches in his legs. He was bought for 1,150 guineas at the Goffs Ballsbridge Sales as an unbroken three year old by Anne, Duchess of Westminster, on the advice of her trainer Tom Dreaper, whose greatness matched that of his most famous charge. He was named after a mountain near the Duchess’s house in Sutherland. The Duchess sent him to be trained by Dreaper at Kilsallaghan. He ran in a couple of bumpers without showing too much promise and then as a five year old when, at 20/1, the stable’s second string won his first hurdle race in a three mile novice event at Navan. To quote Tom Dreaper, he then didn’t stop winning for several years.

CAREER
Arkle won several more hurdle races and, on his first visit to Britain in November 1962 won the Honeybourne Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham by twenty lengths. On his next trip he won the Broadway (now Sun Alliance) Chase at the Festival. At the end of his first full season he had won seven out of seven – the legend had begun.

Arkle’s first Festival saw what many considered to be the "superhorse" Mill House win the Gold Cup as a six year old by twelve lengths after just five previous steeplechases. If Mill House had lived at a different time to Arkle he would probably be considered one of the best three steeplechasers ever. The first meeting of the big two was anticipated eagerly on both sides of the Irish Sea and in the 1963 Hennessy Mill House was set to concede Arkle 5lb. Mill House won easily with Arkle in third place. It was a very foggy day and most racegoers, to their cost, had not seen what happened at the third last fence, a ditch. Pat Taaffe, as always, rode Arkle and was sure that he was on the winner when after the jump Arkle hit a patch of poached ground and slipped on landing. Taaffe later had a famous bet with his great friend Willie Robinson, Mill House’s partner, that he would beat him in the following year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The 1964 Gold Cup was one of the greatest steeplechases of all time. Mill House was odds on and ran his race brilliantly, jumping with panache. Arkle jumped the second last half a length down, was a length up at the last and drew away up the hill to win by five lengths, beating the course record by four seconds. It seemed that the whole of Ireland was there to cheer him in. Arkle and Mill House were to meet on three more occasions. In the 1964 Hennessy Arkle carried 12st 7lb and gave Mill House 3lb. Arkle won by ten lengths with Mill House a further eighteen lengths back in fourth place. In the 1965 Gold Cup Arkle made all the running and won easing up beating Mill House in second by twenty lengths.

The last time that they met was at Sandown in November 1965 in the Gallaher Gold Cup. Arkle had his usual partner, Pat Taaffe, but this time David Nicholson was aboard Mill House. After the first circuit Arkle jumped into the lead to the cheers of the crowd, but some still thought that this could be Mill House’s day. After all Arkle had to shoulder his usual 12st 7lb while this time Mill House had only 11st 5lb. The Big Horse, as Mill House was known to his fans jumped superbly that day. At the railway fences he jumped back into the lead and led by four lengths at the turn. David Nicholson remembers: "I saw Arkle and thought – well old chap, we’ve got you this time. The next moment he was alongside with Pat Taaffe not moving on him… and then he just changed gear. It broke Mill House’s heart – all the fight went out of him after that." That November day Arkle beat Mill House’s Sandown course record by seventeen seconds. They were never to meet again.

By the Irish Grand National in 1964 Arkle had changed the rules of handicapping. So far was he in front of the rest that the handicapper had to prepare two sets of weights, one if Arkle ran, another if he was withdrawn.

Arkle won twenty-seven of his thirty-five races and never fell on the racecourse. He was beaten only three times over fences but what defeats they were. We’ve already heard that the 1963 Hennessy was probably lost through slipping on a bad patch of ground and three years later Arkle was to lose in the Hennessy once more thanks in the main to a brilliantly conceived plan by Stan Mellor, the jockey on Stalbridge Colonist, the winning grey gelding. Mellor did not ride over a thousand winners without being a master tactician and his plan for the race was to keep within four or five lengths of Arkle and, as they jumped the second last to stay exactly behind him. Things worked out absolutely as planned and as Pat Taaffe looked round between the last two fences he did not see the grey. As he turned back to steer Arkle over the last Mellor pulled Stalbridge Colonist out from his chosen path and drove him into the fence. By the time Taaffe realized that he was there it was too late, the line had come and Arkle had suffered a rare defeat by half a length. Three-quarters of a length back in third was the Ryan Price trained What a Myth.

Pat Taaffe had been "kidded" by very shrewd jockey but Arkle had given 2st 7lb to both the winner and the third horse. Stalbridge Colonist was beaten by just three-quarters of a length in the following year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup and What a Myth went on to win the Gold Cup in 1969!

(Another of his weight carrying feats against top opposition had been in the 1965 Hennessy when he gave Freddie 2st 4lb and a fifteen length beating. Freddie was favourite and top-weight in the following year’s Grand National and finished second!)
Arkle coasted up to win the SGB Chase in December 1966 and two weeks later racing fans were disappointed when the Kempton Boxing Day meeting was postponed because of frost in the ground. The meeting took place on the following day and the crowd was stunned when Arkle was beaten into second place in the King George VI Chase by Dormant. The unbelievable was explained when a veterinary examination revealed that Arkle had broken a pedal bone during the race.

The "get well soon" cards, many of them addressed just to – Arkle , Ireland – were sent in their thousands. Despite an operation, plenty of rest and the odd rumour of a return Arkle was never to race again. On October 9 th 1968 he was retired to see out the rest of his days at the Duchess’s farm at Bryanstown, Co.Kildare. His retirement did not prevent him making the odd celebrity appearance, most notably travelling back to England for the Horse of the Year Show.

His stiffness, probably caused by rheumatism, got worse until despite his great heart he could hardly stand. The Duchess was called by Tom Dreaper and vet Maxie Cosgrove and asked to travel over to Bryanstown.. It is difficult to imagine her feelings when the hardest of decisions had to be made and on 31 st May 1970 vets Maxie Cosgrove and James Kavanagh walked with a heavy heart to Arkle’s box where Kavanagh gave him his final injection. The great horse lay down in his box and went to sleep forever.

There will never be another like him.

courtesy: famousracehorses.co.uk