Arkle The Greatest Steeplechaser Part 11

In reply to podzie eyeballs this is the second part of the arkle story
a small bit is missing at the end

[@roberto4001000]

The best horse ever to grace this planet .

[@kurman4749]

How can anyone disagree with that undeniable fact?

[@rohansrider]

The real heart of the success of Arkle was that he had a humane, very knowledgeable and wise team . He was never abused, never over raced as a baby horse, he remained sound and he had plenty of time to be turned away at his owner's estate during the summer months to rest.. No horse could have had a better life. His background and beginnings stood him in good stead. He was also a very intelligent and level headed horse with an exceptional temperament. He was only thirteen when the decision was made to euthanise him - the duchess did the right thing but he was so young by today’s standards. She must have been devastated. He was the best. I met him in 1969 at the HOYS where he was in the parade of personalities. The music chosen was “ I will never found another you”.

[@celticlofts]

The envelope with Arkle Ireland on it really brings home the reverence this horse had in the minds of everyone, both young and old. I don't think there's been a more beloved race horse in the history of the sport.

[@paullynton-green6570]

Red rum was up there in terms of popularity. Rummy was the national horse but in any other race ankle was the government.

[@rob9999i]

Great documentary. I can’t believe Paul Nicholls has said there would have been nothing in it with Kauto Star. Really? I loved Kauto but Arkle was on a completely different level. Beating Mill house by 20 lengths and giving him 16 pounds?! Running off top weight and still even today holding the sandown track record? I wasn’t around in the Arkle days but it’s very clear he was quite easily the best of all time

[@Gos1234567]

Yea I laughed when I heard them comparing Kauto Star FFS. I suppose they have to hype up modern horse racing because to admit a horse from 50 years ago is way better is humiliating to them

[@roybrand4959]

In every decide a horse comes along who captures the imagination of both punters and non-punters alike in Nationsl Hunt racing. 9:19 In the sixties it was Arkle, the 70s it was Red Rum, the 80s it was Desert Orchid, the 90s it was Best Man, 2000 it was Kauto Star. 2010 to date no horse has stood out. But of them all when an old man like me is asked "Who was the best ?" The first name that comes to mind is Arkle. There are very few horses who run for the crowds Golden Miller was one, then 30 years later came Arkle. We had to wait another 20 years for Desert Orchid. I omited Red Rum and for a reason. He was a stayer, a handicapper. A very good one$, yes, but not in the same league as Arkle, his stable-companon, Flyingbolt, or Arkle's greatest enemy, Mill House who wss considered the greatest until they met at level weights when Arkle came over from Ireland. Anyone who knows National Hunt racing wil always mention Arkle in first place and elaborate on his prowess. He was a one- off.

[@Nautilus1972]

Golden Miller won 5 Gold Cups and nobody ever mentions him. But Arkle cause two handicaps to be created. Kauto never had that.

[@harry6555]

arkle drank guiness and red rum drank jamaican rum . would have liked to see them run

[@roberto4001000]

Paul Nicholls talking out of his arse ARKLE in different league to kauto star .

[@kurman4749]

I seem to be always agreeing with you mate.

[@David.L291]

Next you'll be telling us that Red Rum is inferior lol

[@paulyeomans850]

To give mill house a gold cup winner 16lb and a thrashing is incredible.

[@masonjackgreenwood3509]

Arkle was the best steeplechaser ever (END OF)

[@David.L291]

depends on how you look at it

[@michaelboyle5805]

@@David.L291 giving 16lb in weight to a former gold and a 32 length beating. Broke track that still stands. Nothing ever like. Or ever will

[@David.L291]

@@michaelboyle5805 16lbs that's amazing

[@richardmoloney5617]

That's lot of weight to give any horse not mind gold cup winner end of greatest ever never again be another himself

[@roberto4001000]

@@David.L291 How are you looking at it? through kaleidoscope eyes I'd say .

[@Nautilus1972]

He'd love the framed photo I have of Arkle standing in a field. There were only 4 copies made and I've never seen a better one.

[@David.L291]

maybe you could offer it to him

[@richardmoloney5617]

How much would u sell for

[@kurman4749]

Was it signed by Arkle?

[@sigball3971]

kauto star was nothing like arkle...he never rid in handicaps cuz hed get pissed on...theres no comparrison

[@rob9999i]

Agreed, Paul Nicholls embarrassed himself there! I love Kauto Star, but he was beatable and was beaten many times via falls and just not been good enough on the day. Barring ludicrous weights and injury Arkle wasn’t beatable. The fact he ran off top weight at sandown and still holds the track record today says it all. Also the 20 length demolition job of mill house when he was giving him 16 pounds. That’s just insanely good

[@paulyeomans850]

The owner wouldnt let him run the National in case of injury.

[@michaelboyle5805]

Kauto star nonsense. He ran in a handicap giving 35 lb. Or 16 lbs the a former gold cup winner. Even his defeats they were too class horses. Gallagher gold Cup. Beating Mill House giving 16 lbs and 32 length beating. Were in kauto star form did he ever do that? Or giving stallbrigde giving 35 lbs. Stallbrigde was in the next two gold Cup.

[@johnmacdonald5781]

He used to get mail delivered to him just addressed Himself Ireland.

[@shaunmurray7398]

The greatest!!!

[@lesblakeman]

Kauto Star was a brilliant horse , but not within 10lbs of "Himself"

[@rob9999i]

Agreee. It does make you wonder how good of a judge Paul Nicholls is with a horse. He’s a brilliant trainer but when he says something will win and it’s this or that, it doesn’t. Then when he says nothing they win. Maybe it’s when he’s trying to convince himself of something and he can’t, he says these things. But to say nothing in it is utterly ridiculous

[@beverleymorris167]

10lb?.. add another stone

[@jdcahill1926]

Stone and a bit🤣

[@kurman4749]

@@beverleymorris167 You can't possibly make that determination! I too think that Arkle was superior to Kauto Star, but there is no knowing what the weight differentials would be to bring them closer together in a race.

[@stephenhiggins8079]

The greatest steeplechaser that ever lived Nothing to now has got close to him

[@stephenholmes1036]

Dormant was a good horse and Brough Scott runs him down. He won the Mackeson gold cup not a mug.

[@kurman4749]

No, he was a very good horse, but he only beat the likes of Mill House when in receipt of huge lumps of weight.

[@MultiArkle]

What was Arkle's winning time in the Gallagher Gold Cup

[@beverleymorris167]

5 minutes 59

[@brianbooth679]

I know horses cant laugh but the goat would have laughed at kauto star and dessie as well.

[@tubeyhamster]

Why wouldn't Flyingbolt and Arkle have run against each other? The documentary states that Tom Dreaper, the trainer of both, would never have entered them in the same race. Is that because he couldn't because of the rules of racing at the time, or he wouldn't for fear of overtaxing them? The way the documentary says it, it almost sounds to me like he couldn't even if he had wanted to.

[@ThefightingCelt]

+tubeyhamster Because they would have been competing for the same races , and Tom Dreaper knew he could win all the different top races with his two stable stars . Pat Taaffe , who rode both , was adamant that Arkle would have won had he met Flyingbolt over 3 miles or further . Arkle's Gallaher Gold Cup ( full race on YT ) is arguably the greatest display by any chaser ever.

[@thomaslogue7773]

desert orchid better than arkle your having a laugh arkle arkle gave away loads of weight went left or right handed handled any conditions jumped like a stag never fell very seldom was under pressure was a phenomenon

[@karenblackadder9446]

tubeyhamster They once took each other on at exercise. Both got the bit between their teeth and neither rider had any control. Had they run away like that in a race one of them would have died. They were never to meet again.

[@johnwedgbury6817]

karen blackadder (i really hope that's your real name) and is that really true? was it just a random incident or was it a case of they were both stars and didn't want to be beat? because the star horses have an air about them like they know they're special. they seem more human if that makes sense

[@Nautilus1972]

@@ThefightingCelt Would you make your children compete agaisnt each other?

[@jameshope398]

Why did Arkle never race in the Grand National at Aintree

[@ThefightingCelt]

Because his owner , the Duchess of Westminster , refused point blank to let her great horse run in the race for fear of injury or fatality . Arkle's trainer Jim Dreaper was adamant that Arkle would have won the Grand National easily , as did jockey , Pat Taaffe .

[@karenblackadder9446]

@@ThefightingCelt TOM Dreaper trained A RKLE. Jim is his son.

[@ThefightingCelt]

Of course he did , I get father and son mixed up now and again . Thanks for the correction .

[@David.L291]

@@ThefightingCelt most likely she the owner made the right choice

[@cloister-yy7rk]

What weight would they have given him.In the 1965 Hennessy,`Arkle` beat `Freddie` 15 lengths,giving him 32lbs in weight......That year `Freddie` was second at Aintree with top weight of 11st 10ils.{beaten 3/4 of a length].......At face value `Arkle` would have had to have carried over 14st in the National,staggering statistic.

[@johnmercury2272]

Himself

[@Nivekthewatcher.6372]

Hold my beer Golden Miller

[@kevinmunday5782]

denman won handicaps, to me he was better than kauto. But arkle was on a different level..i dont agree that you cant compare generations ali, pele, arkle , are legends for a reason....

[@rob9999i]

Denman is hard to quantify as he got rather fibrillating heart in his prime and was a shadow of himself after. Even then through sheer determination he managed a high level of form but nowhere near his Cheltenham win

[@MultiArkle]

Flyingbolt only won 2 chases over 3 miles plus and because he beat the same horse Arkle did in the Irish National they assumed he must be as good despite the two races being 1 year apart. No doubt in my mind Arkle would have beaten Flyingbolt ever easily. I do believe Arkle is the best we have seen but I could be wrong. Racing has changed so much and one negaitive is it is much easier to give a slow horse more and more weight than it is to give a classy horse a 30 length beating which Kauto did often. Bob Turnell had a brilliant young horse and the day before he met Arkle Bob told the media no horse in the world could give my horse Buona Notte 20 plus pounds and beat him. In the actual race as they came to the last Buono Notte was cantering all over Arkle and the mare Flying Wild when he clouted the fence and slipped on landing. However he still managed to fight his way back and finishish ahead of Arkle. He had beaten Dunkirk during his novice season a year before and it was his first race in senior comapany. Badly needing 3 miles in his trainers opinion he was the only horse that might have shook Arkle up but he was killed in his next race at Doncaster. For some reason the race has never been shown since but by memory had he jumped that last fence he would have beaten Arkle by at least 5 lengths. Of course excuses were made for Arkle but that's racing. No matter what the media claimed after his defeat Tom Dreaper and Pat Taffe were adamant before the race Arkle was 100%. I almost agree with Ted Walsh that Arkles 212 rating was way wrong but I don't agree he was 7 to 10 lbs better than Kauto Star. If they had met round Kempton Arkle would probably have come out 2 to 5 lengths in front. He possesed that little bit of toe he probably inherited from his grandsire Nearco who was never beaten. As far as Flyingbolt goes I doubt if he could have got near Sprinter Sacre and decent ground round Cheltenham. There's a huge difference between beating a horse like Solbino and absolutely destrong a class horse like Sizing Europe. So for me I would put them in an order something like Arkle Sprinter Sacre Kauto Star Desert Orchid Dunkirk Flyingbolt and Burroughill Lad......Mill House maybe next but the big horse was beaten 17 times from 34 races iand I find him really hard to rate. As far as Flyingbolt goes I doubt if he could have got near Sprinter Sacre and decent ground round Cheltenham. There's a huge difference between beating a horse like Solbino and absolutely destrong a class horse like Sizing Europe. So for me I would put them in an order something like Arkle Sprinter Sacre Kauto Star Desert Orchid Dunkirk Flyingbolt and Burroughill Lad......Mill House maybe next but the big horse was beaten 17 times from 34 races iand I find him really hard to rate. As far as Flyingbolt goes I doubt if he could have got near Sprinter Sacre in decent ground round Cheltenham. There's a huge difference between beating a horse like Solbino and absolutely destroying a class horse like Sizing Europe. So for me I would put them in an order something like Arkle Sprinter Sacre Kauto Star Desert Orchid Dunkirk Flyingbolt and Burroughill Lad......Mill House maybe next but the big horse was beaten 17 times from 34 races iand I find him really hard to rate.

[@roberto4001000]

Go back to bed you 🤡

[@beverleymorris167]

You fail to mention that just 7 days earlier Arkle had thrashed mill house in the Hennessy at Newbury, giving up to 35lb, that must have left it's mark, as I say just 7 days later, having to hump 12-11!!!....... buonna notte wouldn't have got near him at levels.

[@kurman4749]

You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but I'm afraid as good as Sprinter Sacre was, I don't believe he would have beaten Flyingbolt off level weights. I couldn't imagine Sprinter Sacre conceding the kind of weights to his opposition that Flyingbolt was regularly expected to do. I have been involved in horse racing since 1961 and I was around when Arkle, Flyingbolt and Mill House were racing. How many CHASERS can you name that won the Two Mile Champion Chase on the Tuesday of the Cheltenham Festival meeting and the very next day ran in the Champion Hurdle and finished a close third? Well, Flyingbolt performed that feat in 1966, finishing a very creditable third behind Salmon Spray and Sempervivum after looking all over the winner approaching the final hurdle. Sadly, Flyingbolt's career was cut short as he was plagued with injury problems that affected his legs. He was later sent over to England to be trained by Ken Oliver at Hawick, but he was never the same horse again. Personally, I don't have the slightest doubt that Flyingbolt was the best two-mile chaser since the end of the Second World War. Sprinter Sacre has solid claims to being the next best.

[@MultiArkle]

@@kurman4749 Go do your homework. Sprinters QMCC was miles ahead of Flying Bolts. Sizing Europe had won the Arkle and the QMCC and almost won a Champion Hurdle (injured in closing stages) Flyingbolt beat Flash Bulb who was a nice horse but never won and of the 4 top chases of the time. The 3rd Flying Wild won over a longer trip on the Massey but with 10st 6lb on her back.

[@kurman4749]

, Unlike you I don't make assertions that I cannot back up with proof. I believe that Arkle only had one serious rival over distances from 2 miles to 3 and a quarter miles, and that was Flyingbolt. Do I think that Flyingbolt would have beaten Sprinter Sacre if they had ever raced against each other? Yes I do! Can I prove it? No, of course I can't! When you make assertions, pal, just be certain that you can substantiate your claims with proof, otherwise you just make yourself look like a prat.

[@johnwedgbury6817]

really can't agree with paul nicholls in this video. while arkles rating may be slightly inflated. i can't see kauto star beating any recent gold cup winner by 30 lengths while giving them 16lbs. kauto star as great as he was to watch isn't nearly level with arkle. my own humble opinion is timeform got his rating wrong by around 10lbs. he's the best chaser in my mind but those older ratings are slightly generous i think

[@Nautilus1972]

HE's talking bollocks. Of course you can compare when there was a handicap created for when Arkle was running and a different one for when he wasn't. Kauto nor Denman ever had that honour. He beat Mill House by a mile giving him more than two stoens in weight for Christ's sake.

[@roberto4001000]

Arkle was originally 220 they dropped it to 212 after his half length defeat in which was to be his final ever race as he raced for the last mile with a broken bone in his foot which ends his career , so stick that in your pipe and smoke it .

[@paulyeomans850]

He was the greatest.No debate!

[@jamesogrady301]

He was. The. Greatest. Steplechaser I. Have ever See Back. Them. Years ago I. Was. A young. Apprentice. In. Ireland. Riding. For. Clem Maginer. Arkle. Was. The Best. Jimmy o Grady.

[@edmondscott7444]

Pity about awful background noise ruins the video please remove drivel accompaniment when you speak.

[@garrywilson7676]

If you think that's bad, try the 1951 grand national and hear the stupid music that ruins the video!

[@jakhal5153]

sorry but no horse was as good as desert orchid.....

[@Nautilus1972]

Idiot. Would Dessie beat the next best horse by 30 lengths giving 16 pounds away? Don't talk shite.

[@roberto4001000]

Dessie wasn't even the 9th best

[@rob9999i]

Lol

[@thomasgowdy7387]

Catch yourself on know nothing about horse racing

[@pauldonohoe3646]

😂😂😂😂😂