Next Arkle

The Next Arkle explores Ireland’s passionate love affair with Cheltenham through the astonishing story of Carvill’s Hill, a brilliant but flawed racehorse, and his notorious owner, Liam ‘Billy’ Marks. Marks, a professional gambler and major figure in Ireland’s corrupt 1980s beef trade, was nicknamed ‘Billy’ after the slick lawyer ‘Razzle Dazzle’ Billy Flynn from the musical Chicago. As meat trader and racehorse owner, he had a turbulent career punctuated by a kidnapping, threats of violence, innumerable court cases and accusations ranging from fraud and corruption to IRA-linked money laundering. Through all this chaos, he clung to one conviction: that one day the giant Carvill’s Hill would win the Cheltenham Gold Cup. A generation of Irish race-goers, longing for a new champion in an era of English dominance, shared that dream. What followed was dramatic, spectacular but ultimately heartbreaking. This gripping true-life story feels like a Hollywood film!