Woodland Venture 1967 Cheltenham Gold Cup

Woodland Venture 1967 Cheltenham Gold Cup

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Woodland
• Venture
• 1967
• Cheltenham
• Gold
• Cup

[RobinCarmody]

Had Arkle and Flyingbolt both stayed sound, this would quite possibly have been the greatest Gold Cup ever run. As things were, it must have seemed something of an anti-climax at the time (without wanting to take anything away from the winner, but ...).

[jessejames3507]

When you look at the 3 winners who followed Arkle, Woodland Venture, Fort Leney (10-y-o) and What A Myth (12-y-o), then you have to think that Arkle would almost certainly have won 6 Gold Cups and broken Golden Miller's record. However if Flyingbolt had not contracted brucellosis then he might have been the one to prevent him as he was 2 years younger than Arkle and only rated one pound below him in 1966 when Arkle was at his peak. Do you think?

[rockinmusicman]

Mill House would have won both the 1967 1968 race if he had not fallen in lead both times 17th & 15 fences .I was there and he was going so easy in front both times.

I still think Arkle Flyingbolt Mill House Desert Orchid are the 4 best chasers ive ever seen .Reason i think they ran against better horses .They also gave weight to top class animals .Arkle over 2st 7lb

[mimbrenos]

A great reminder of the 1960's jockeys who would have given McCoy and Walsh a hard time. Terry Biddlecombe and Stan Mellor were miles apart in style but both full of flair and opportunism. Dormant's rider Jeff King was never champion but worthy of the accolade. Jockeys without a ride in this race included superb stylists Johnny Haine and David Mould, and last but not least Josh Gifford, in my view the master craftsman, and most polished and effective finisher I have ever seen over jumps

[ArkleSupreme]

Arkle would most definitely have won the next 3 Gold Cups and Flyingbolt would never have beaten him over the course and distance where he was invincible...also who would have ridden Flyingbolt anyway,certainly not Pat Taaffe ??

[tarqogan]

A good point, peterboi98, and undeniably true. I feel privileged,though, to have seen the greatest steeplechaser ever to have graced a racecourse.

[arkleno1]

Agree entirely on the comments. Pat Taffe always reckond that Arkle would have beaten Flyingbolt (see his book My Life and Arkle's an excellent publication). When still in training for his aborted comeback he was in a race with Fort Leney to whom he was weighted to give the best part of 4 and a half stone, six weeks later Fort Leney won the '68 Gold Cup. Kauto Star good horse that he is would not have seen the way Arkle went at level weights, as I don't believe we ever saw Arkles at his peak.

[peterboi98]

People seem to miss one important fact concerning the great Arkle. Had he not cracked his pedal bone he still wouldn^t have been able to win 5 gold cups. He developed arthritus and had to be put down at the young age of 13. This had nothing to do with his original injury. He would have probably had one more season before his crippling disability showed. He will always be the greatest.

[1oldirishman]

I only watched these great chasers on TV live, but I very well remember Flyingbolt-and several others, such as Captain Christy, being compared to Arkle. They were outstanding jumpers, but, I kid you not, you just 'knew' there was only one Arkle. At his peak, no horse, at the time, before or since, would have matched him at level weights - as long as his jockey could hang on. Pat Taafe sometimes had a job to do so.