Cottage Rake

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Cottage Rake

Sire	Cottage
Grandsire	Tracery
Dam	Hartingo
Damsire	Hartford
Sex	Gelding
Foaled	1939
Country	Ireland
Colour	Bay
Owner	Frank Vickerman
Trainer	Vincent O'Brien
Record
Earnings
Major Racing Wins, Awards and Honours
Major Racing Wins
Irish Cesarewitch (1947) Cheltenham Gold Cup (1948, 1949, 1950) King George VI Chase (1948)
Infobox last updated on: January 1, 2008.

Cottage Rake (1939-1961) was a successful National Hunt racehorse. Before he embarked on his spectacular jumping career he was failed by a vet on three different examinations. On the last of these occasions the vet was working for Frank Vickerman, who had just become one of the first patrons of a new Irish trainer named Vincent O'Brien. But the deal still went through and 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 impressive hat-trick from 1948-1950, with his most imposing victory being the last of the trio when he beat Finnure by ten lengths. 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. Sadly, Cottage Rake completely lost his form after his third Cheltenham Gold Cup triumph. He moved over to Gerald Balding's stable in England but the change of scenery could not resurrect it.