Arkle and Red Rum lead Irish in new series of stamps celebrating horse racing
A new set of stamps is being launched in Britain featuring racehorse legends, just days before this year's Aintree Grand National.
Artwork of eight champion horses who have won top races over the past 60 years are included in the stamps, and there are multiple Irish connections to the chosen horses.
The stamps are being launched to mark the 40th anniversary of the historic third Grand National win for Red Rum, who was born in County Kilkenny in 1965.
The other horses featured are Frankel, Shergar, Kauto Star, Desert Orchid, Arkle, Brigadier Gerard and Estimate.
Arkle, whose Timeform rating is the highest ever awarded to a steeplechaser, was born and trained in Meath and ridden by Dubliner Pat Taaffe during his steeplechasing career.
Arkle won three Cheltenham Gold Cups, the Hennessy Gold Cup twice, the Irish Grand National and the King George VI Chase among others, despite having his career cut short by injury.
Shergar, British-trained but bred in Ireland, was famously stolen from the Ballymany Stud in Kildare in 1983.
Estimate is owned by Queen Elizabeth but was bred in Kildare, at the Aga Khan’s stud in Kilcullen.
Royal Mail commissioned the artwork by renowned equestrian artist Michael Heslop, who said: "The reason I wanted to paint racehorses is, for an artist they have everything - you paint form, you can paint movement.
“In that one image you've got horseflesh and you've got the silks of the jockey. Everything in that one image, that is really worth painting."
