60 years ago, the racing world saw something seismic and unique. It saw Arkle.
Jockey Pat Taaffe on 'Arkle' at Newbury racecourse for the Hennesey Gold Cup. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)
Lots of very important stuff happened in 1963 and some of it was so important that the consequences are still being felt today. Americaās first Irish President, John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in November, just a couple of short months after Eddie Keher scored fourteen points to help Kilkenny beat Waterford in the All Ireland hurling final.
The āGood Popeā John XXIII died that year too, he left us just weeks after Johnny Giles won an FA Cup medal with Manchester United. This was also the year that the Beatles went stratospheric and changed music forever. Then of course, there was the most seismic sports happening of all. In Gloucestershire in the middle of March, Arkle first came to the Cheltenham Festival.
Sixty years ago, almost to the day, he won the Broadway Novice chase over three miles under Pat Taaffe and won it so easily that the spectators at the track and the wider racing world in general instantly understood that they had just seen something different, something unique. In the six decades that have passed since then no other horse has yet come near him in ability. No, not even Constitution Hill, for now at least.
Back then the Festival lasted for three days and there were just two novice chases. The Broadway was run on the first day of the meeting. The second novice chase was then known as āThe Cotswoldā was over two miles and before being renamed as āThe Arkle Challenge Trophyā in honour of Himself in 1969.
Arkleās trainer, Top Dreaper was sure he could win either race with equal ease, but their owner Anne, Duchess of Westminster, had another good novice called Ben Stack that year and the shorter race suited him best. Suffice to say, Ben duly won easily too.
The direct descendent of the Broadway Chase is the second race this Wednesday and having been the victim of various sponsor changes through the years it now trades under the title of āThe Brown Advisory Noviceās Steeplechaseā. The injection of new money into horse racing is always very welcome but it sure does tend to muddy the heritage of a contest when the original name is lost from the title of the race.
After Arkle won the Broadway, it then changed its name to The āTote Chaseā, then the āRoyal and Sun Alliance (RSA)ā before flipping over to its current title in 2021. Clarity hasnāt been helped either by the inclusion of the Turnerās Novice Chase over the āsplit the distanceā trip of two and a half miles in 2011.
The Broadway had traditionally settled the argument over who was the seasonās best staying novice chaser but with the addition of The Turnerās there is additional dilution and distraction. If the new race hadnāt been added to the programme, then Mighty Potter, Sire Gerhard, Banbridge and Appreciate it would probably be joining fray this afternoon and would be a race worth watching.
Arkle had a lot more than his exceptional talent in his favour on his first ever trip to The Festival. He had won on his debut over fences at an earlier Cheltenham meeting the previous November meeting so he already knew the place and was also assisted by another of those momentous events of that memorable year. The great British freeze of the winter of 1963.
The whole country had effectively closed down for three months under a relentless battering of arctic weather. Racing came to a complete halt so by the time the thaw came at the end of February the home trained horses were grossly unfit after their long box confinement.
Then the ground was so drenched by melting snow that it became almost un-raceable and fat English horses labouring through heavy going were never going to bother Irelandās finest who was as fit as a fiddle following a warm-up victory at a lush, grass-covered Leopardstown.
Backed down to 4/9 Pat Taaffe minded him carefully for a couple of circuits before allowing him an inch of rein between the last two fences and off he went to win by 20 lengths. The prevailing view was that he could have trebled the margin with much more effort. The Duchess collected her Ā£1360 winning prize money, Arkle ended his novice year with two more wins at the spring meetings at Fairyhouse and Punchestown. The foundations of a legend had been poured.
Might there be another Arkle lurking 60 years later in this year's field? In a word, no, but there are several promising young chasers who with some luck should become relevant in future Gold Cups. The favourite, Gerri Colombe, looks be the best of them. Unbeaten in seven races heās won two Grade One novice chases at Limerick and Sandown in the manner of a horse that will stay three miles well.
Sir Gerhard is the winterās āforgotten horse,ā and though he has already won twice at The Festival, expectations for him this week have been strangely muted. He has only run in one chase, when he easily won a three-runner egg and spoon contest at Gowran despite some poor jumping. This is a huge ask for a horse only having his second run over fences, but if he can improve at his fences 5/1 looks an each-way steal.
The third horse favourite today is the interesting āThe Real Whackerā trained by Irishman Patrick Neville, who held a license for fifteen years in Limerick before relocating to the wilds of North Yorkshire. Whacker has already won twice at Cheltenham this season and was under active consideration for a tilt at the Gold Cup until sense finally prevailed last week. āI couldn't be happier with him. Heās absolutely buzzing at the moment,ā reports Neville.
Three promising horses indeed but unlikely to ever perform within two stone of Arkle on an off day. Few ever have. Since that win in 1963 seven other horses have won both the Broadway Chase and The Gold Cup including Ten Up, Master Smudge, Garrison Savannah, Looks Like Trouble, Denman, Bobs Worth and most recently, Lord Windermere in 2014. All great horses no doubt but all at least two-stone short of Himself.
Some misguided revisionists have been querying his record Timeform rating of 212 lately. Not possible they argue, there was no horse capable of beating Kauto Star by 20 lengths and Desert Orchid by 25. But remember, there are also misguided revisionists that will argue that David Beckham was nearly as good as Bobby Charlton.
Another key determinant to Arkleās legend also happened in March 1963, coincidentally also at Cheltenham. Two days after heād won the Broadway Chase, a promising young chaser called Mill House won the Gold Cup. Arkleās Broadway performance was almost forgotten amid the hype and hysteria generated by Mill Houseās victory and the idle speculation on exactly how many Gold Cups he would win.
Arkle now had a benchmark, a brilliant rival to vanquish so that his brilliance could never be questioned. They both were back twelve months later for their first Gold Cup tussle. By then it was 1964, a whole different year and a whole different story.
