Six decades after he ran his last race, in the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day 1966, Arkle remains a hallowed name in National Hunt circles. Owned Anne Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster and trained by Tom Dreaper at Greenogue, Kilsallaghan, Co. Dublin, Arkle remains the highest-rated steeplechaser in the history of Timeform and was a class apart from his contemporaries.
All told, Arkle won 27 of his 35 races, but 22 of his 26 steeplechases, in which he finished behind just half a dozen rivals. On his first appearance at the Cheltenham Festival, in 1963, he won the Broadway Novices’ Chase, a.k.a. the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, by 20 lengths and, under regular jockey Pat Taaffe, went on to become a force majeure on both sides of the Irish Sea throughout the mid-sixties.
Arkle will always be best remembered for winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup three years running, in 1964, 1965 and 1965. He did so by an aggregate of 55 lengths and on the third occasion was sent off at prohibitive odds of 1/10, making him, far and away, the shortest-priced winner in the history of the ‘Blue Riband’ event. Elsewhere, he won the Irish Grand National, under 12st 0lb, in 1964, the Hennessy Gold Cup (now the Coral Gold Cup) twice, under 12st 7lb on both occasions, in 1964 and 1965 and the King George VI Chase in 1965.
On his return to Kempton Park in 1966, Arkle was beaten just half a length in the King George VI Chase, despite fracturing a pedal bone. He recovered sufficiently to return to training, but never raced again. He was humanely euthanised on May 31, 1970, having suffered from increasingly debilatating athritis in his latter years. Arkle is commemorated by the Arkle Challenge Trophy, a two-mile contest for novice steeplechaser run on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival, which was established in 1969.