Cottage Rake

{{Short description|Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse (1939–1961)}} {{Use Hiberno-English|date=August 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox racehorse | horsename = Cottage Rake | image = | caption = | sire = Cottage | grandsire = [[Tracery (horse)|Tracery]] | dam = Hartingo | damsire = Hartford | sex = [[Gelding]] | foaled = {{birth year|1939}} | country = [[Ireland]] | colour = [[Bay (horse)|Bay]] | breeder = Richard Vaughan | owner = Frank Vickerman | trainer = [[Vincent O'Brien]] | record = | earnings = | race = Irish Cesarewitch (1947)<br />[[Cheltenham Gold Cup]] (1948, 1949, 1950)<br />[[King George VI Chase]] (1948) | awards = | honours = |updated= 21 August 2024 |death_date={{death date and age|1961|1939}}}}

'''Cottage Rake''' (1939–1961) was an Irish-bred, top-class [[National Hunt racing|National Hunt]] [[Horse racing|racehorse]]. His breeder was Richard Vaughan from Hunting Hall, Castletown Roche, [[County Cork]], [[Ireland]]. Before he embarked on his jumping career, the horse was failed by a [[Veterinary surgeon|vet]] on three different examinations. On the last of these, the vet was overheard by young trainer [[Vincent O'Brien]] saying that the horse's wind infirmity would not interfere with his racing performance. O'Brien contacted wool merchant Frank Vickerman, who bought the horse to be trained by O'Brien.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301342731 |title=Vincent O'Brien Biography |first=P. G. |last=McKenna |date=January 2015 |via=researchgate.net}}</ref> Cottage Rake ultimately set his trainer on the route to the top of the training ladder by becoming only the second horse to win the [[Cheltenham Gold Cup]] three years in a row. He achieved this hat-trick from 1948 to 1950, beating Finnure by ten lengths in the last of these races. His hardest-won triumph had come the previous year when he only got the better of Cool Customer in the final 100 yards. Such was his partnership with jockey Aubrey Brabazon that a verse was composed about their success. Cottage Rake lost his form after his third Cheltenham Gold Cup triumph. He moved over to [[Gerald Barnard Balding, Sr.|Gerald Balding]]'s stable in [[England]], but the change of scenery did not resurrect his success.

==See also== * [[Repeat winners of horse races]]

==References== * The Complete Encyclopedia of Horse Racing - written by Bill Mooney and George Ennor {{reflist}}

[[Category:1939 racehorse births]] [[Category:1961 racehorse deaths]] [[Category:Cheltenham Gold Cup winners]] [[Category:Cheltenham Festival winners]] [[Category:Thoroughbred family 22-a]] [[Category:National Hunt racehorses]] [[Category:Racehorses trained in Ireland]] [[Category:Racehorses bred in Ireland]]