Arkle - New Book
Friday, October 28, 2005
ARKLE - The Life and Legacy of 'Himself' - Sean Magee
Published in harback by Highdown, 14 November 2005, £20.00
Arkle was the greatest steeplechaser ever. He won 22 of his 26 chases between 1962 and 1966, including the Cheltenham Gold Cup 3 times, Hennessy Gold Cup twice, Whitbread Gold Cup, King George VI Chase and Irish Grand National, before his career was prematurely cut short by injury.
When in 2004 the Racing Post polled its readers to find their favourite racehorse of all, the horse known simply as 'Himself' won as emphatically as he had won so many big races.
Arkle received fanmail by the sackload (some of it addressed simply to Arkle, Ireland), featured on Irish stamps, and even had songs written about his fabled feats. A national hero in his native Ireland and an equine icon the world over, he enjoyed a hold on the public affection unmatched before or since, and continues to exert his magic forty years after he raced.
Arkle: The Life and Legacy of 'Himself' celebrates the greatest of all chasers in words and in a superb collection of photographs and paintings, many never previously published. It is a fitting tribute to the horse of whom the Racing Post wrote 'We have not seen his like since - and nor are we ever likely to.'
Sean Magee is the author of many books on horse racing, most recently 'Ascot - The History' (2002) and 'Lester's Derbys' written with Lester Piggott (2004). He lives in Oxfordshire.
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