Thomas William Dreaper (1898-1975) was a

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

racehorse trainer, best known for having been the trainer of Arkle and

Flyingbolt Flyingbolt (1959 - 1983) was a famous racehorse. Officially he is the second best steeplechaser of all time, after Arkle. A comparison of their merits is probably best illustrated by the Official Handicapper, who at the end of the 1965-1966 ...

. Dreaper was born into a farming family in Donaghmore near Ashbourne on the County Meath-County Dublin border, and educated at

St. Andrew's College, Dublin St Andrew's College ( ga, Coláiste Naomh Aindriú) is a co-educational, inter-denominational, international Private day school, founded in 1894 by members of the Presbyterian community, and now located in Booterstown, Dún Laoghaire–Rath ...

.Fuller, Bryony (1991) ''Tom Dreaper & His Horses'', Punchestown/Marlborough In 1916, he left school to work on the family farm with his father and elder brother. In his twenties he took up riding in point-to-points, with his first win coming in 1923 on Dean Swift, a horse he owned. In 1925 he rode his first winner under Rules. In 1930, his parents bought Greenogue, a 300-acre farm a few miles from Donaghmore, which Tom farmed himself, and in 1931 he took out a licence to train. His serious amateur career came to an end with a fall at

Naas Naas ( ; ga, Nás na Ríogh or ) is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 21,393, making it the second largest town in County Kildare after Newbridge. History The name of Naas has been recorded in th ...

1938, which left him in hospital for eight weeks, unconscious for two of them. Since he viewed himself primarily as a cattle-farmer, his training career was slow to take off. His first major success was with

Prince Regent A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch regnant, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness ...

, who won the

Irish Grand National The Irish Grand National is a National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Fairyhouse over a distance of about 3 miles and 5 furlongs (5,834 ...

in 1942 and the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

in 1946, and also came third in the

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...

in 1946 and fourth the following year. In the following years, Dreaper cemented his reputation as Ireland's leading trainer with horses such as Storm Head, Hasty Bits, Shagreen and

Fortria Fortria (foaled 1952) was an Irish National Hunt horse best known as the first dual winner of the Champion Chase and winner of the inaugural Mackeson Gold Cup. Although very successful over two miles, he also excelled at longer distances, and won ...

. However, his greatest successes came with the horses owned by

Anne, Duchess of Westminster Anne Winifred Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster (née Sullivan; 13 April 1915 – 31 August 2003), known as Nancy, was an Irish born peeress best known for her passion for horse racing. Early life Her parents were Brigadier-General Edward ...

, a partnership which produced 97 wins, 43 second place and 33 third-place finishes by horses such as Cashel View, Ben Stack, Sea Brief, Arkle and Flyingbolt. At one time he had in his stables both Arkle and Flyingbolt, the two highest-rated steeplechasers of all time. In all, Dreaper trained 26 winners at the

Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Rac ...

including the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Arkle Challenge Trophy five times each and the

Champion Chase The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. As part of a sponsorship agreement with the onli ...

six times. He won the

ten times, seven times consecutively (from 1960 to 1966). The only major race that he never won was the Grand National, coming second in 1970 with Vulture and in 1971 with Black Secret, ridden by his son Jim. The Irish Grand National winners were Prince Regent (1942), Shagreen (1949), Royal Approach (1954), Olympia (1960), Fortria (1961), Kerforo (1962), Last Link (1963), Arkle (1964), Splash (1965) and Flyingbolt (1966). Dreaper married Betty Russell in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, in 1945, and had a son and two daughters. His son, Jim Dreaper, took over his stables on his retirement in 1971.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dreaper, Tom 1898 births 1975 deaths Irish racehorse trainers People educated at St Andrew's College, Dublin