Arkle back to delight of punters

Arkle back to delight of punters

25 February 2015

MIGHTY Arkle, the greatest ever steeplechaser, will be honoured at Downpatrick racecourse next Wednesday.

That’s when race fans will get a rare opportunity to see a display of memorabilia, courtesy of life-long Arkle fan Nick O’Toole.

O’Toole has generously allowed the County Down track to display Arkle items collected over several decades.

He hails from Leopardstown and his passion for the horse dubbed ‘Himself’ began when he witnessed his triumph in the Leopardstown Chase in 1966, the same year he won the Cheltenham Gold Cup for the third year running.

The display will comprise numerous items linked to Arkle’s major race wins. It is hoped that people closely associated with the horse, including members of the Dreaper and Taaffe families, will attend the event.  

Arkle won 27 of his 35 starts at distances from 1m 6f up to 3m 5f. The great racing commentator Peter O’Sullevan called him a freak of nature, something unlikely to be seen again and that has proved true.   

Arkle was rated 212 by the world’s most respected rating organisation, Timeform. No horse in recent times has managed to achieve a figure in excess of 200.   

A framed print of the great horse will be raffled at Wednesday’s meeting and all proceeds with go to the Irish Injured Jockeys’ Association.

A special collectors’ edition race card will be produced on the day with full statistics, stories and photographs of Arkle.  

The Irish Jockeys Association, the European Breeders Fund, Northern Region of the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association, JP Mc Manus’ Martinstown Stud, Irish Stallion Farms and the new racecourse caterers, Posh Nosh, are among the sponsors at the meeting.

Gates open to the public at 12.45pm and first race is at 2.35pm.