Arkle

Irish-bred steeplechaser nicknamed 'Himself,' widely regarded as the greatest jumps horse in history, whose Timeform rating of 212 remains the highest ever awarded and stands unmatched more than half a century later.

Arkle was foaled on 19 April 1957 at Ballymacoll Stud, County Meath, bred by Mary Baker and sold as an unbroken three-year-old for just 1,150 guineas. Owned by Anne Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster, who named him after a Scottish mountain near her Sutherland estate, he was sent to trainer Tom Dreaper at Greenogue, County Dublin, where stable staff initially considered him an unremarkable mover who improved steadily month by month. Ridden throughout his steeplechasing career by Pat Taaffe, Arkle made his fencing debut in November 1962 and quickly established himself as an exceptional talent, winning his first six chases before a rare defeat to reigning Gold Cup champion Mill House in the 1963 Hennessy Gold Cup, after slipping on landing. Arkle turned the tables decisively the following March, defeating Mill House by five lengths in the 1964 Cheltenham Gold Cup, the first of three consecutive victories in the race - he won by 20 lengths in 1965 and by 30 lengths in 1966, the largest winning margin in the race's history at the time, despite making a jumping error. Arkle's dominance was so overwhelming that handicappers created special rules to burden him with weights of up to 12 stone 7 pounds - 35 pounds more than his rivals - and he still repeatedly triumphed, breaking course records in races including the 1964 Hennessy Gold Cup and 1965 Gallaher Gold Cup. He won 27 of his 35 career starts, including the 1964 Irish Grand National and 1965 King George VI Chase, and became a genuine national icon in Ireland, receiving fan mail addressed simply to 'Himself, Ireland.' His career ended in December 1966 when he fractured a pedal bone after clipping a guard rail in the King George VI Chase, still finishing second on three legs. Arkle never raced again and died on 31 May 1970 at age 13. His skeleton remains on display at the Irish National Stud, and his Timeform rating of 212 remains the highest ever recorded for a steeplechaser.

Economical, efficient jumper who measured each fence precisely rather than jumping flashily, conserving energy for a devastating late turn of speed that overwhelmed rivals despite carrying far greater handicap weights

Universally regarded as the greatest steeplechaser in history and a national icon in Ireland, whose combination of dominance and heavy weight-carrying feats remain the benchmark against which all subsequent jumps horses are measured

• 3x Consecutive Cheltenham Gold Cup Winner (1964, 1965, 1966)
• Highest Timeform rating ever awarded to a steeplechaser (212)
• 1964 Irish Grand National Winner
• 27 wins from 35 career starts