You may only have a flutter on the National, but no-one can deny the influence of horse racing on British and Irish culture. From the plumber popping in to the bookies in Ballymena, to Queen Elizabeth cheering on the royal nags at Aintree, the thrill of the turf touches every tier of society. 
In his book, Britain and Ireland’s Top 100 Racehorses of All Time, the avuncular broadcaster Robin Oakley takes you on a canter through his favourite winners, viewed from the perspective of a man with 20 years of racing journalism at the Spectator under his belt, not to mention the curious eye of the political editor of CNN, the BBC and The Times. I’m a complete novice in terms of equestrian knowledge, but even I recognised some of the names in the top 100… Red Rum, Desert Orchid, Best Mate and five times King George VI winner Kauto Star the owner of whom, Clive Smith, was on our table at the RAC dinner on Thursday night.
Robin’s love of racing and racing people was clearly shared by those present, but there was also a hint that the golden days of the sport were behind us, the beginning of the end marked by the day the BBC lost / gave away the rights to televise racing to Channel 4. Glancing through the panoramic windows at the fading light, I saw the endless rolling greens and browns of Woodcote park blending into shadows, and with them the ghosts of horse racing’s greatest heroes. Robin’s all-time favourite? Arkle “Himself.” the horse for whom the rules of racing had to change to “accommodate” his genius. Quoting John Lawrence, Robin concludes that Arkle was ” ‘A happy horse, who enjoyed every minute of his life.’ Of how many human beings can we say that?”
Books For Breakfast 