Greatest Racehorses: Desert Orchid 112w41

Pedigree Details

Sire: Grey Mirage

Dam: Flower Child

Dam's Sire: Brother

Breeder: James Burridge

Foaled: 11^th April 1979

Race Record & Factfile

Races: 70

Wins: 34

Owner: Richard Burridge  

Trainer: David Elsworth

Profile

A sturdy, good-looking grey, Desert Orchid was a bold front-runner whose class and versatility enabled him to win top races from two miles to beyond three and a half miles, produce colossal weight-carrying performances in handicaps and endear him to the public. The immensely popular ‘Dessie’ was expertly handled throughout his career by David Elsworth and was ridden by only five jockeys, with Colin Brown in the saddle for 42 of his starts. Desert Orchid was at his most electric on right-handed tracks and won the King George VI Chase at Kempton four times, which was a record before Kauto Star sured his tally. However, arguably his greatest achievement came when ing an extremely popular success in the 1989 Cheltenham Gold Cup. A statue in his memory stands at Kempton and the Grade 2 Desert Orchid Chase, contested on the 27^th December, was first run in 2006.

1982/83 Season

Desert Orchid ran four times over hurdles in his first season, and showed some promise without managing to win. He was just behind the leaders when falling at the last on his debut at Kempton, and he went close to collecting at Sandown when finishing a neck second after been poorly placed in a slowly run affair. He was well beaten on heavy ground on his final start that season.

1983/84 Season

After showing a tendency to pull hard in his first season, Desert Orchid made giant strides in his second campaign when allowed to stride on from the front, winning six of his eight starts. He trounced his rivals by eight lengths in the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown and also proved up to the task in the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton when 2/1 favourite. He contested the Champion Hurdle but finished well beaten after duelling with eventual winner Dawn Run for much of the contest.

Major races won

• Tolworth Hurdle, Sandown
• Kingwell Hurdle, Wincanton

1984/85 Season

Desert Orchid was victorious only once from eight outings in the 1984/85 season, winning the Oteley Hurdle at Sandown in February. However, Desert Orchid put up some very smart performances in defeat, including in the 1984 Christmas Hurdle when a 15-length runner-up to Browne’s Gazette with See You Then, who would win the next three editions of the Champion Hurdle, back in third. Poor performances at Leopardstown, Chepstow (where he seemed to resent wearing blinkers), and in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham provided further evidence that Desert Orchid was a better horse on a right-handed track.

Major races won

• Oteley Hurdle, Sandown

1985/86 Season

Desert Orchid fell at the second-last when 15 lengths clear and travelling strongly on his reappearances over hurdles at Kempton in October, but he soon made amends when switched to chasing. He made a successful debut over fences at Exeter and then jumped brilliantly around Ascot and Sandown, winning the Hurst Park Novices’ Chase and the Henry VIII Novices’ Chase respectively, barely coming off the bridle on either occasion. The four-timer was completed when upped to two and a half miles, again at Ascot. All four victories had come before Christmas and by an aggregate distance of 64 lengths.

Following an unseat and a second-place finish in the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase, Desert Orchid lined up in the Arkle at the Cheltenham Festival and finished third, beaten around nine lengths, after occasionally jumping to his right. He was also unsuccessful on his final two starts of the campaign, finishing runner-up in a novice and a creditable fifth in a handicap, both over two and a half miles.

Major races won

• Hurst Park Novices’ Chase, Ascot
• Henry VIII Novices’ Chase, Sandown

1986/87 Season

This was a season during which Desert Orchid showed his versatility with victories ranging from two miles to three miles in conditions ranging from good to firm to soft. His meteoric rise began in November at Sandown when readily making all in the Holsten Lager Handicap Chase, again over two and a half miles. His jumping was then to blame when fourth in a valuable Ascot handicap, making mistakes throughout, but he produced a tremendous display dropped back in trip for the two-mile Frogmore Handicap Chase at the same course in December, helping force a strong pace and impressively keeping up the gallop to win by 12 lengths.

Connections then decided to step him up to three miles for the first time, having a tilt at the King George VI Chase. Due to his zestful nature, there was a widespread view – held by those outside of his connections – that Desert Orchid wasn’t going to stay the extra distance. He was a 16/1 chance and ridden by Simon Sherwood, deputising for stable jockey Colin Brown who was aboard stable companion Combs Ditch, runner-up in the previous two renewals. The field also included the previous Gold Cup winner Forgive’N Forget and three-time King George victor Wayward Lad.

Desert Orchid set off at a strong gallop in the prevailing conditions, building a sizeable lead, and he increased the tempo in the back straight on the final circuit, producing some spectacular jumps. He only needed to be ridden out with hands-and-heels to record a 15-length success.

He again showed very smart form over three miles on both starts prior to Cheltenham, firstly winning the Gainsborough Chase at Sandown in February – his performance one of the best of recent seasons in a staying chase – then completing a much easier task in the four-runner Jim Ford Challenge Cup at Wincanton.

Desert Orchid was not entered in the Cheltenham Gold Cup that season as connections believed the race wouldn’t suit, and he instead contested the Queen Mother Champion Chase, in which he finished third. His final start that season was in the Whitbread Gold Cup but he was pulled up six from home having suffered an interrupted preparation in the build-up to the race.

Major races won

• King George VI Chase, Kempton
• Gainsborough Chase, Sandown

1987/88 Season

After dishing out wide-margin drubbings to small fields at around two and a half miles on his first couple of outings in the 1987/88 season, Desert Orchid dropped in trip to contest the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown. Now an established Grade 1, the race back then was a handicap and he finished a game runner-up to Long Engagement when attempting to concede two stone.

He was sent off an even-money favourite to retain the King George VI Chase on his next start, but was ridden too aggressively. He lasted better than those who helped force the scorching pace, but soon after three out the writing was on the wall as the French-trained Nupsala and Forgive'N Forget went on, only for the latter to fall at the last. Desert Orchid eventually finished runner-up, 15 lengths behind the winner.

Desert Orchid had to concede 17 lb to Charter Party, a subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, in the Gainsborough Chase and was beaten eight lengths, only just losing out on second close home as he tired in the heavy ground. After a surprising length-and-a-half defeat at level weights to Kildimo in the three-runner Jim Ford Challenge Cup, Desert Orchid’s chosen Cheltenham target was again the Champion Chase due to the rain-softened ground, although this season he had also been entered in the Gold Cup. He finished a very game five-length second to Pearlyman but it was a performance that suggested he was now best suited to trips around three miles.

A month later, over an extended three miles in the Chevas Regal Cup at Aintree, Desert Orchid exacted revenge on Kildimo, jumping spectacularly to record an eight-length success and record a first victory going left-handed. The pair met again in the Whitbread Gold Cup and Desert Orchid again jumped superbly, making virtually all and rallying on the run-in to win going away by two and a half lengths.

Major races won

• Chevas Regal Cup, Aintree
• Whitbread Gold Cup, Sandown

1988/89 Season

Desert Orchid was successful on six of his seven starts during a campaign that was his most memorable. After winning at Wincanton he shouldered 12st in the Tingle Creek and made specialist two-milers look ordinary, scooting clear up the Sandown hill. He was sent off an odds-on favourite to regain his King George crown and merely needed to be pushed out to fend off Kildimo.

Dropped back to the minimum for the Victor Chandler Handicap Chase, Desert Orchid showed his class and guts to concede 22 lb to Panto Prince, just prevailing after the pair engaged in a terrific duel up the straight. After producing another brilliant weight-carrying performance in the Gainsborough Chase – he dug deep to deny Pegwell Bay – he would finally be tasked with winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Continued snow and rain caused the Cheltenham ground to turn heavy on Gold Cup day, but Desert Orchid was allowed to take his chance and was sent off the 5/2 favourite. The race was a memorable one to all racing fans as Desert Orchid and the mudlark Yahoo battled it out up the Cheltenham hill, Desert Orchid’s adoring fanbase roaring the ten-year old home as he got on top in the final 100 yards to win by a length and a half.

Major races won

• Tingle Creek Handicap Chase, Sandown
• King George VI Chase, Kempton
• Victor Chandler Handicap Chase, Ascot
• Gainsborough Chase, Sandown
• Cheltenham Gold Cup, Cheltenham

1989/90 Season

Desert Orchid endured mixed fortunes during this campaign, running to the highest Timeform rating of his career when winning the Racing Post Chase but then suffering a shock defeat in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

He was trained with the King George very much in mind in the first half of the season and, after beating one rival in the Silver Buck Chase at Wincanton and finishing runner-up in the Tingle Creek, he equalled Wayward Lad’s record of three wins in the King George, winning by eight lengths from stablemate Barnbrook Again.

A fortnight after winning a minor event at Wincanton in February, Desert Orchid faced a stern test in the Racing Post Chase at Kempton, but he produced a phenomenal performance that would see his Timeform rating rise to 187, a figure bettered since by only Kauto Star (191) and Sprinter Sacre (192p). Carrying 12st 3lb and conceding two stone to Delius, he jumped exceptionally well and ran on strongly to score by eight lengths, with future Grand National winner Seagram back in third. Unfortunately, Desert Orchid ran below his best when only third to shock winner Norton’s Coin in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but he emphatically bounced back on Easter Monday in the Irish Grand National, justifying his even-money starting price when conceding between 26 lb and 28 lb to 13 rivals, surviving a scare at the last to run out a comfortable winner.

Major races won

• King George VI Chase,Kempton
• Racing Post Chase, Kempton
• Irish Grand National, Fairyhouse

1990/91 Season

There was to be one major, last hurrah in the career of Desert Orchid. Defeated on his first two starts over two miles in the 1990/91 season, he may have been 11, rising 12, but he was sent off 9/4 favourite to record a historic fourth King George success. He was left in the lead from the 13^th after the fall of Sabin Du Loir and he galloped on remorselessly under Richard Dunwoody to triumph, receiving a rapturous reception from the crowd.

Defeat then followed in the Victor Chandler, but he did defeat three rivals in the Gainsborough Chase when conceding at least a stone to each. His final start that season came in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and he finished an honourable third, beaten 15 lengths by Garrison Savannah and The Fellow.

Major races won

• King George VI Chase, Kempton
• Gainsborough Chase, Sandown

1991/92 Season

Desert Orchid raced three times in his final season, but was well below his best when twice beaten by Sabin Du Loir and then fell when held in the King George on what would prove to be the final start in the remarkable career of an all-time great.

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