Arguably the greatest race horse in history is finally set to get a memorial here in his native land.
Well over 40 years after his death, the name Arkle is still as well known as ever. His Timeform rating of 212 remains the highest ever achieved and with three Cheltenham Gold Cups to his name, he lives on as one of the legends of the sport.
A statue to Arkle is already in place at Cheltenham, and his skeleton is one of the star attractions at the Irish National Stud, but a long campaign to have a memorial to the horse, known as ‘Himself’ all over Ireland, is almost at an end.
Almost three years ago Jim Dreaper, son of Arkle’s trainer Tom, and some other volunteers began a drive to get the horse more recognition here. Over €200,000 was raised to have the statue made and on April 19 this year, the statue will be unveiled in Ashbourne in Meath. It was decided that the statue was best in a public space where everyone could see him rather than at a racecourse.
The statue is now complete, and here’s a few snaps of what it looks like from the Bronze Art Foundry in Dublin’s Gaelic Street where it was made, courtesy of Jim’s daughter Lynsey.
And here is the site in Ashbourne as it prepares for the arrival of its statue.
