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I would apologise to those old enough to have seen Arkle for my "youth"-centric question but to be honest, you have something us youngsters do not have.
I’ve been watching racing since around 1992/93 and have seen some absolutely fantastic horses like Istabraq, Moscow Flyer and Kauto Star. I’ve also seen some phenomenal performances from the likes of Denman, Master Minded and Baracouda. However, I have yet to see a horse that can be described as phenomenal. Sure, I saw Frankel in the flesh and that was great but he was a flat horse. Big Bucks was also an immense pleasure to watch but he was a huge fish in a tiny pond.
Sprinter Sacre carried my dreams of being the horse I would tell my grandchildren about but that bubble was burst at Kempton last Christmas and the remnants completely evaporated this afternoon.
So I’m wondering, will there ever be another superlative destroying behemoth or have decades of refined breeding programmes and training regimens obliterated the fantastical dream?
I believe it is possible. Recently, we’ve seen various horses display some of the key attributes to be phenomenal. We’ve had the superb Kauto Star types, able to dominate their division for years and we’ve had some fancy dans like Sprinter Sacre produce unsustainable brilliance.
Now we just need a marriage of freakish talent, soundness and longevity in one animal, with:
-Even more talent than Kauto Star and Sprinter Sacre
-The luck to end up in the hands of a top trainer and an adventurous and sporting yet unassuming and responsible owner
-A cast of greats in the same era to repeatedly thrash, so even the most dour purist will allow him/her to be compared with Arkle.Here’s hoping!
The answer that’s springs readily to mind is , no.
However, Frankel changed everything regarding my previously held notions regarding the flat.
So who knows.
Sadly fate , injuries etc. comes into the equation more so in the NH sphere.
Golden Cygnet and Carvills Hill spring to mind.
In the latter case, for those that criticise some current flat stables for team tactics, please watch a certain stables tactics in a certain Gold Cup.Freaks of nature will always intermittently occur.
Frankel was a different type of horse to his sire, and better than him too (very good though Galileo was) and way better than his dam.
Some doubt the 212 and 208 handed to Arkle and Flyingbolt and I personally prefer to evade that debate by simply saying at his best Sprinter Sacre was the best chaser of the modern era.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"I don’t think the Sprinter Sacre bubble has burst but more like a bit deflated.
What you’ve got to remember is that Sprinter Sacre missed his important 8YO season (unlike Arkle who sailed through his 8th year) and any horse that has a year off the track will undoubtedly lose that bit of spark to some degree.
With fingers crossed, I’m wishing that Sprinter Sacre will rekindle his former ability/strength.
Two points about Arkle, from someone who is old enough to have at least seen him on TV if not in the flesh.
First is that the number of horses in training during his era was tiny compared to now, so inevitably the top of the pyramid was sparsely populated. What Arkle did was beat the same small group of horses, headed by Mill Reef, time after time regardless of weight or conditions.
Second is that his extreme Timeform rating is based on what he achieved giving weight away in handicaps, so that how you compare him with modern stars depends on your view of the significance of weight in chases.
Neither of those points is intended to demean Arkle or to downplay his career, but to point out that comparisons with modern racing are rendered very tricky by the utterly different racing worlds in which the horses are performing.
Quite right – that’s the trouble with getting old, all the years (and the horses) start merging together.
We already have.
His name was Kauto Star.
Next question…
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So don't run, just like the others always do
eh.
Is Faugheen invisible?Champion Hurdle this year, Champion Chase next year then 8 Gold Cups all on the bridle………
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We already have.
His name was Kauto Star.
Next question…
When he failed to give monets garden a stone at Aintree, he removed himself from that debate. I imagine some people think denman at this best might have been able for him. Still, now that he has left the scene, it could be a long time before we see one to achieve as much.
Back to the Arkle debate. I suppose a modern superstar might be as good as Arkle, given the evolution of the species but as hinted by others, we may never see one that far clear of his rivals again. If Sprinter Sacre was capable of giving as much weight as ratings suggest, than it might be possible to talk about it like that. But we don’t ask horses to do that so much any more.
Also, I wonder whether Dreaper was ahead of many of his rivals in terms of training techniques? Combine that with a brilliant horse, throw in an era where there might be fewer top class opponents and and hey presto….you have an unstoppable machine.
SHL
It’s possible of course , freakishly good horses ( “Park Top” springs to mind ) do arrive from time to time. We can enjoy speculation of course but he was an extraordinary horse . I was an apprentice in the early sixties so I vividly remember watching him . I only saw him “in the flesh ” once when he won the Gold Cup in ’66. I would have got a hair or two from his tail had my horse not broken down in the Cathcart and I was somewhat distracted .
I do agree with the praise given to “Flyingbolt” – another terrific horse.
I wonder why we rarely have these discussions about ” Golden Miller ” who was a fantastic racehorse and could equally IMO be regarded as a phenomenon .
I’ve never seen a horse that would match him but , they don’t have to be the equal of Arkle to be considered great.
Let’s enjoy them all on their own merits .eh.
Is Faugheen invisible?Champion Hurdle this year, Champion Chase next year then 8 Gold Cups all on the bridle……… <!– s:lol: –>
<!– s:lol: –>It’s not just Arkle’s weight-carrying performances, but the times he set, often carrying 12-7, thta were remarkable. I do accept that Faugheen could be a phenomenon; unbeaten, over every distance , on any ground, never off the bridel, rarely seen a Champion Hurdle won so far out. He looks a 3-mile chaser to me, but because of the stable, we’ll probably never see him at that level
When Faugheen won at Cheltenham last year I said to a friend “this will be a hell of a horse when he learns to jump” which I still believe to be the case. He has one hell of an engine but is not most fluent of hurdlers.
To make comparisons to heroes of the past is impossible because races are framed differently and top class horses rarely run in handicaps to allow them to display great weight carrying performances.
All we should do is revel in the SUPER performances we see occasionally and commit them to memory.
To make comparisons to heroes of the past is impossible because races are framed differently and top class horses rarely run in handicaps to allow them to display great weight carrying performances.
Or not. Until they actually show they could my suspicion would be they couldn’t. There is nothing to stop these horses running in handicaps other than the fear factor. Instead they nearly all look for easier options.
When people talk about greatness, toughness is often a quality that is (conveniently) forgotten. Had there been these easier opportunities perhaps Arkle would have taken them but the fact is he could back up one weight carrying performance with another, even when the races were within a few weeks of each other.
I struggle with the idea that the general quality of the National Hunt horse has moved on since the vintage period of the early 70’s when it was the norm for top class horses to contest top class handicaps. Unfortunately, those days are gone forever.
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