Arkle was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. A bay gelding by Archive out of Bright Cherry, he was the grandson of the unbeaten flat racehorse and prepotent sire Nearco. Arkle was bred by Mary Baker of Malahow House, near Naul, County Dublin, and was born at Ballymacoll Stud, County Meath. He was owned by Anne Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster, who named him after the mountain Arkle in Sutherland, Scotland, that bordered her Sutherland estate. Trained by Tom Dreaper at Greenogue, Kilsallaghan in County Meath, Ireland, he was ridden during his steeplechasing career by Pat Taaffe.
Gordon Waugh Richards was a British racehorse trainer specialising mainly in National Hunt racing. He trained two winners of the Grand National with Lucius in 1978 and Hallo Dandy in 1984. He also trained One Man to win the King George VI Chase in 1995 and 1996.
Master Oats was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist steeplechaser, he ran twenty-one time and won ten races. He campaigned mainly at distances in excess of three miles and was particularly effective on soft or heavy ground. Over a period of sixteen months between November 1993 and March 1995 Master Oats won nine of his eleven races and improved from racing in minor handicaps to becoming the highest-rated staying chaser in Britain. His winning run culminated in a win in the 1995 Cheltenham Gold Cup. He also ran in three editions of the Grand National, twice carrying top weight. His later career was disrupted by injury and he failed to win again after his Gold Cup success. Master Oats was retired from racing in 1998 and died in 2012.
Bula (1965–1977) was a British National Hunt horse who won two Champion Hurdles and many other top races over hurdles and later over fences. He ran during what is considered a ‘golden period’ for two mile hurdlers in the 1970s, which featured such champions as Persian War, Comedy Of Errors, Night Nurse, Monksfield and Sea Pigeon. Bula was “a remarkably consistent, versatile and durable jumper” and was known for his come-from-behind style.
Cue Card was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist steeplechaser, he won fifteen of his thirty-three races, including nine at Grade I level.
Trabolgan is a retired, Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing. In a racing career which was seriously disrupted by injuries and other health problems, he won five times from seventeen starts between December 2002 and March 2010. After showing promising, but unremarkable form in his early career he showed great improvement when switched to steeplechasing in the autumn of 2004. In March 2005 at Cheltenham Racecourse he won the Grade I Royal & SunAlliance Chase, one of the season's most prestigious races for Novice chasers. On his next appearance in November 2005, he won the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup under the biggest weights carried to victory in the race for twenty years. At the time, he was regarded as one of the best steeplechasers in training, but he never won again: he missed the next three years with injury and failed to recover his form when returning to the track.
Teeton Mill was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who competed under National Hunt rules. He originally competed in hunter chases, which are confined to horses who have taken part in fox hunting, and won five of his first six races. When moved into open competition he won four consecutive races including the Badger Beer Chase, Hennessy Gold Cup, King George VI Chase and the Ascot Chase before sustaining a career-ending injury in the 1999 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Coneygree is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt races. In a career which ran from November 2010 to February 2019 he ran in eighteen races, winning nine times. In March 2015, he became the first novice chaser to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup for more than forty years. His subsequent career was hampered by injury and he did not run again in the Cheltenham Gold Cup after winning it.
Norton's Coin was a British Thoroughbred racehorse, best known for his 100/1 win in the 1990 Cheltenham Gold Cup. He was an obscurely-bred gelding owned and trained in Wales by Sirrell Griffiths, a dairy farmer who had only two other horses in his stable.
Many Clouds was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2015 Grand National. After being sold as a foal, he was sent to England and trained for a National Hunt racing career by Oliver Sherwood.
Thistlecrack is a British Thoroughbred racehorse who competes in National Hunt races. Unraced until he was five years old, he recorded his first win in a National Hunt Flat race in 2014. In the 2014/15 National Hunt season he won two minor hurdle races before improving when tried over long distances and winning the Grade 1 Sefton Novices' Hurdle. In the following season he established himself as the best staying hurdler in Britain with wins in the Long Distance Hurdle, Long Walk Hurdle, Cleeve Hurdle, World Hurdle and Liverpool Hurdle. When switched to steeplechasing in the following season he made an immediate impact, taking the Worcester Novices' Chase before beating more experienced horses in the King George VI Chase. His later career was beset by injury problems and he never won again, being retired from racing in March 2021 at the age of thirteen.
Sizing John is a British-bred, Irish trained thoroughbred racehorse who competes in National Hunt racing. He is trained by Jessica Harrington and owned by Ann and Alan Potts, and is best known for winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2017. He has been ridden in most of his races by Jonathon Burke, but has more recently been ridden Robbie Power, including all four of his Grade 1 wins over fences. He also won a Grade 1 over Hurdles, the Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown in 2014, and spent much of his early chasing career finishing second or third in races won by Douvan, widely regarded as one of the best chasers of recent times.
Little Owl was an English trained racehorse. Undefeated in his first eight completed starts over fences, he was described by Timeform as "potentially one of the most talented steeplechasers since Arkle". Particularly after winning a notably strong Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1981. However, after a series of injuries and a general drop in form, he was never to fulfill his promise and ended his career competing in hunter chases.
Silver Buck (1972–1984) was an Irish-bred racehorse who became a champion steeplechaser when trained in England by the Dickinson family. He was the winner of the 1982 Cheltenham Gold Cup, and the 1979 and 1980 runnings of the King George VI Chase. He was voted National Hunt Horse of the Year in 1982.
See You Then was an English bred racehorse who won the Champion Hurdle three times. He is one of only five horses to achieve this feat. His career over hurdles consisted of fifteen races, of which he won ten. He had suspect tendons throughout his career which made it difficult to keep him sound. His lack of racecourse appearances eventually earned him the nickname in some quarters of 'See You When'.
Bregawn was an Irish-bred racehorse who developed into a top class steeplechaser. He is best known for winning the 1983 running of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, when his trainer Michael Dickinson trained the first five runners home.
Gay Spartan was a British-bred racehorse who began his career in Ireland and progressed into a top class steeplechaser after moving to England to be trained by Tony Dickinson. His career was interrupted by injury, limiting his racecourse appearances when he was in his prime.
Forgive 'n Forget (1977–1988) was a British-bred racehorse who developed into a top-class steeplechaser. He was held up and invariably travelled comfortably in his races but sometimes lacked fluency at his obstacles. His biggest success came when winning the 1985 running of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He would later lose his life in the 1988 running of the same event.
Pearlyman was a British-bred racehorse who developed into an outstanding steeplechaser over distances of around two miles. His biggest successes came when winning both the 1987 and 1988 runnings of the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Having also won the Grand Annual Chase in 1986, he is in a select band of horses who have won at the Cheltenham Festival in three consecutive years. He had fragile forelegs and was pin fired early in his career. When at his best, his performances were marked by his ability to quicken in the later stages of a race.
Border Incident was a British-bred racehorse who first developed into a high class novice hurdler, then later became one of the best steeplechasers of his generation. He had a tendency to break blood vessels and was plagued by injury throughout his career which limited his racecourse appearances. He was physically strong in appearance though often sweated up before his races. He was trained throughout his career by Richard Head at Rhonehurst Stables, in Upper Lambourn, Berkshire, England.
