Arkle
Everyone hates seeing a great horse beaten, but it is perhaps as well for steeplechasing that Arkle didn't win the Massey-Ferguson Gold Cup at Cheltenham. Arkle and Mill House between them threatened to make a nonsense out of our handi- capping system, simply by being too good. But with due respect to the Irish I could not believe that the greatest steeplechaser of all time (and Arkle may well be just that) could give 26 lb. to Buona notte, Mr. Joel's unbeaten champion novice chaser. Actually Buona notte stumbled at the last fence with the race won, and was beaten by a nostril by Flying Wild, who received 32 lb. from Arkle with the favourite a length away in third place. If Arkle had won ,we would have been forced to produce two handicaps for each big 'chase, as the Irish do—o'ne for use if Arkle runs, one if he doesn't. As it is, Mill House will ruin the Grand National handicapping if he enters, as he may do. We will probably never again see two such great jumpers at the same time. At least we may now hope that they won't be weighted out of all the top handicaps.
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