Thomas William Dreaper was a successful Irish steeplechase racehorse trainer.
Background
Tom was born into a farming family in Donaghmore near Ashbourne on the County Meath-County Dublin border, and educated at Saint Andrew"s College, Dublin. In 1916, he left school to work on the family farm with his father and elder brother.
Career
He is best known for being the trainer of Arkle and Flyingbolt. However, the lure of steeplechasing proved irresistible and by the 1920s he was a successful point-to-point jockey. His serious amateur career came to an end with a fall at Naas 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 official
In the following years, he cemented his reputation as Ireland"s leading trainer with horses such as Storm Head, Hasty Bits, Shagreen and the great Fortria. At one time he had in his stables both Arkle and Flyingbolt, the two highest-rated steeplechasers of all time.
In all, he trained 26 winners at the Cheltenham Festival including the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Arkle Challenge Trophy five times each and the Champion Chase six times.