Pat Taaffe

Pat Taaffe, at 6 ft. 2 ins., was unusually tall for a jockey, but his prodigious talent matched his height. In fact, referring to Pat Taaffe as a jockey scarcely does him justice; he was a supreme, sympathetic horseman, and one blessed with perfect hands. His ability to present  a horse to a fence was unmatched though, because he rode very short for his length of leg, he was often described as ‘untidy’ by those who should certainly have known better.

Untidy or not, that did prevent Rimell from engaging him to take the place of the injured stable jockey Terry Biddlecombe on Gay Trip. His very first winner had been a chance ride as well.

Pat Taaffe, son of Tom Taaffe, was born in Rathcoole, Dublin on March 12, 1930. Surrounded, as he was, from birth by horses, it would have been surprising if he had not become an amateur jockey. He rode his first winner, Ballicorona, a chance ride, at Phoenix Park in 1947.

He had turned professional by 1950 and became stable jockey to Tom Dreaper, of whom Taaffe once said,  “He never abused me for giving a horse a bad ride. The most he ever said was ‘Don’t ride the same race you rode before.’”

It was Taaffe’s good fortune to be inextricably linked with Arkle, in many eyes the finest chaser ever to jump a fence. Like Frankel was to bestride the turf like a Colossus in 2012, so, too, did Arkle and Taaffe dominate all pitched against them in the sixties. Together they won three Cheltenham Gold Cups, the Hennessey twice, the King George Vl Chase, the Whitbread and the Irish Grand National. Taaffe was the perfect partner, and Arkle’s reputation owes a considerable debt to the man who rode him as no one else could.

 Arkle’s brilliance outshone his stable companions Fortria, Flyingbolt and Fort Leney who won 47 races between them for Taaffe. 

It should be put on record here that Pat Taaffe always considered Flyingbolt to be a better horse than Arkle, a view echoed by the only other jockey to have ridden the pair.

Other good rides that came Taaffe’s way were Ben Stack, Muir, Straight Fort and French Tan.

Taaffe excelled at Cheltenham and Liverpool; apart from his two Grand National wins he won the Becher Chase twice, likewise the Molyneux plus a Topham Trophy and a Grand Sefton.

Pat Taaffe retired in 1970 and took up training, being immediately successful with Captain Christy who won the Irish Sweeps Hurdle, the Scottish Champion Hurdle, the King George Vl Chase twice and the 1974 Cheltenham Gold Cup.

In 1991, he underwent a heart transplant operation.

Pat Taaffe died on Tuesday, July 7 1992, aged 62.

He left a widow, Molly, two sons and three daughters.

Pat Taaffe

Grand National winners: Quare Times (1955), Gay Trip (1970)

Cheltenham Gold Cup winners: Arkle (1964, 1965, 1966), Fort Leney (1968)

Other big winners:

1952: Topham Trophy Chase – Ballymagillan 

1953: Broadway Novices’ Chase - Coneyburrow

1953: Grand Sefton Chase – Coneyburrow 

1954: Cathcart Challenge Cup Chase – Royal Approach 

1954: Becher Chase – Mr Linnet 

1960: National Hunt Two-Mile Champion Chase – Fortria 

1960: Broadway Novices’ Chase – Solfen 

1960: Mackeson Gold Cup – Fortria 

1960: Molyneux Chase - Jonjo

1961: Cotswold Chase – Mountcashel King 

1961: National Hunt Two-Mile Champion Chase – Fortria 

1961: Broadway Novices’ Chase – Grallagh Cnoc 

1961: Becher Chase – Castle Perilous 

1962: Mackeson Gold Cup – Fortria 

1962: Molyneux Chase - Domicile

1963: Cotswold Chase – Ben Stack 

1963: Broadway Novices’ Chase – Arkle 

1964: Gloucestershire Hurdle – Flyingbolt 

1964: National Hunt Two-Mile Champion Chase – Ben Stack  

1964: Hennessy Gold Cup – Arkle 

1965: Cotswold Chase – Flyingbolt 

1965: Whitbread Gold Cup – Arkle 

1965: Gallaher Gold Cup – Arkle 

1965: Hennessy Gold Cup – Arkle 

1965: Black & White Whisky Gold Cup – Flyingbolt 

1965: Massey-Ferguson Gold Cup – Flyingbolt 

1965: King George VI Chase – Arkle  

1966: National Hunt Two-Mile Champion Chase – Flyingbolt  

1966: Black & White Whisky Gold Cup – Dicky May 

1966: S.G.B. Handicap Chase – Arkle 

1968: Cathcart Challenge Cup Chase – Muir 

1969: S.G.B. Handicap Chase – Straight Fort 

1970: National Hunt Two-Mile Champion Chase – Straight Fort

1970: Cathcart Challenge Cup Chase – Garrynagree 

Big wins in Ireland include: 

1954: Irish Grand National – Royal Approach 

1955: Irish Grand National – Umm 

1959: Irish Grand National – Zonda 

1961: Irish Grand National – Fortria 

1963: Power Gold Cup – Arkle 

1963: John Jameson Gold Cup – Arkle 

1964: Thyestes Handicap Chase – Arkle 

1964: Leopardstown Chase – Arkle 

1964: Irish Grand National – Arkle 

1965: Leopardstown Chase – Arkle 

1965: Irish Grand National – Flyingbolt 

1966: Thyestes Chase – Flyingbolt 

1966: Leopardstown Chase – Arkle