Racing plate worn by Arkle when winning the Gallagher Gold Cup at Sandown Park in 1965, the plate silvered and set on a slice of fossilised wood and o
£2,000 - £3,000
Racing plate worn by Arkle when winning the Gallagher Gold Cup at Sandown Park in 1965, the plate silvered and set on a slice of fossilised wood and overlaid with a hallmarked silver model of a thoroughbred's head, the outside of the plate inscribed ARKLE 1965 GOLD CUP WON BY 20L TOOK 17 SEC OFF COURSE REC WITH TOP WEIGHT OF 12-7, 16.5 by 16cm. Of all the races won by the legendary Irish steeplechaser Arkle, the 1965 Gallagher Gold Cup at Sandown Park is often cited by commentators to have been his greatest ever performance. Carrying top-weight of 12st. 7lb. and conceding 16lb. to his great rival and 1973 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Mill House, Arkle won the race and broke the 3 miles course record by 17 seconds. Arkle's time has never been surpassed in the proceeding 51 years. The plate was discovered and purchased by a sports memorabilia collector at Covent Garden Antiques Market in central London.