Desert Orchid
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Sire:	Grey Mirage
Dam:	Flower Child
Damsire:	Brother
Sex:	Gelding
Foaled:	1979
Country:	United Kingdom
Colour:	Grey
Breeder:	James Burridge
Owner:	Richard Burridge
Trainer:	David Elsworth
Record:	70: 34-11-8
Earnings:	£654,066
Major Racing Wins & Honours & Awards
Major Racing Wins
Tolworth Hurdle (1984) Kingwell Hurdle (1984) Hurst Park Novices' Chase (1985) King George VI Chase (1986, 1988, 1989, 1990) Gainsborough Chase (1987, 1989) Chivas Regal Cup (1988) Whitbread Gold Cup (1988) Tingle Creek Trophy (1988) Victor Chandler Chase (1989) Cheltenham Gold Cup (1989) Racing Post Chase (1990) Irish Grand National (1990) Agfa Diamond Chase (1991)
Infobox last updated on: November 9, 2006. Image File history File links Photo_needed. ... A gelding is a castrated animal—specifically, a castrated male horse. ... Gray or grey is a color seen commonly in nature. ... The Tolworth Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in the United Kingdom for four-year-old and above novices run over a distance of 2 miles 110 yards (3,319 metres) at Sandown Park in January. ... The King George VI Chase is a United Kingdom National Hunt horse race for five-year-old and above horses run over a distance of 3 miles at Kempton Park Racecourse on Boxing Day. ... The Betfred Gold Cup is a Grade 3 National Hunt horse race in the United Kingdom for five-year-old and above horses run over a distance of 3 miles 5½ furlongs (5,934 metres) at Sandown Park in late April. ... The Tingle Creek Trophy is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in the United Kingdom for five-year-old and above horses run over a distance of 2 miles (3,219 metres) at Sandown Park in early December. ... The Victor Chandler Handicap Chase is a Grade 3 National Hunt horse race in the United Kingdom for five-year-old and above horses run over a distance of 2 miles (3,219 metres) at Ascot Racecourse in January. ... The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the foremost Chase in the United Kingdom, run at Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. ... The Racing Post Chase is a Grade 3 National Hunt horse race in the United Kingdom for five-year-old and above horses run over a distance of 3 miles (4,828 metres) at Kempton Park Racecourse in late February. ... The Irish Grand National is an annual horse racing event which takes place in Fairyhouse Racecourse, Ratoath, north of Dublin City. ...

Desert Orchid (foaled 11 April 1979, died 13 November 2006^[1]) was probably the United Kingdom's most famous racehorse over jumps in his day. He was a grey steeplechaser who was affectionately known as Dessie. April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... November 13 is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 48 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A steeplechase race The steeplechase is a form of horse racing (primarily conducted in the United Kingdom, United States, and Ireland) and derives its name from early races in which orientation of the course was by reference to a church steeple, jumping fences and ditches and generally traversing the many...

Desert Orchid's first season started in an unspectacular fashion. Few who saw him on his debut thought they were watching one of racing's superstars. In fact when he fell at the first in a novice hurdle at Kempton in 1983, it seemed that his first race may be his last, as he took along time to get to his feet after a heavy fall. 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Desert Orchid started the 1983/4 season on a winning note, again in novice company at Ascot. In this season he won 6 of his 8 starts, his final race of the season being an unplaced effort behind the ill-fated Dawn Run in the 1984 Champion Hurdle. Ascot Racecourse is a racecourse, located in the village of Ascot in the English county of Berkshire used for thoroughbred horse racing. ...

David Elsworth's grey was no longer eligible for novice company over timber in 1984/5 and struggled to recapture his novice form. He won one of his eight starts this season, the win being in February at Sandown. He was pulled up in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Chepstow, and on his final outing of the season fell at Ascot. The Champion Hurdle is a United Kingdom National Hunt horse race for four-year-old and above horses run over a distance of 2 miles 110 yards at Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire on the first day of the Cheltenham Festival in March. ... Cheltenham (or Cheltenham Spa) is a spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, England, near Gloucester and Cirencester. ... Chepstow (Welsh language: Cas-gwent) is a border town straddling the Monmouthshire—Gloucestershire border, situated at the confluence of the River Wye and River Severn on the Severns west bank. ...

Desert Orchid was then switched to the bigger obstacles, and ran up a sequence of four wins at Devon and Exeter, Sandown and Ascot (twice) before unseating at Ascot. He did not win again that season despite three further placed efforts.

Back at Ascot he won over 2 miles before returning to Kempton Park for the Boxing Day showpiece. Dessie tackled Grade 1 company in the King George VI Chase and ran out a spectacular 15 length winner over Door Latch. This was a top-class performance in which he easily defeated stars such as Wayward Lad, Forgive n'Forget, Combs Ditch and Bolands Cross. The quality of the field was shown by Dessie's starting price of 16/1. This was Dessie's first win under Simon Sherwood. Boxing Day is a public holiday observed in many Commonwealth countries on 26 December. ... The King George VI Chase is a United Kingdom National Hunt horse race for five-year-old and above horses run over a distance of 3 miles at Kempton Park Racecourse on Boxing Day. ...

He followed up with wins at Sandown and Wincanton, before finishing third in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham, three lengths behind Pearlyman. He bounced back to win over 2m 4f at Ascot before being pulled up in the Whitbread on his final outing of the 1986/7 season. Cheltenham (or Cheltenham Spa) is a spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, England, near Gloucester and Cirencester. ...

A string of places followed in 1987, second at Sandown (2m), before a second in the 1987 King George, and places at Sandown, Wincanton and Cheltenham. He got his head in front on his last two starts of the 1987/8 season taking the Martell Cup at Liverpool, which was his first win on a left-handed track, and the Whitbread Gold Cup at Sandown, ridden by Simon Sherwood. Template:Warningbox Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in North West England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. ...

One of Dessie's greatest efforts took place in the 1989 Victor Chandler Handicap Chase where he took on four rivals. However. two of these rivals were the top-class Panto Prince and Vodkatini. He gave the former 22 pounds and the latter 23 pounds. In a thrilling finish he just got back up to deny Panto Prince by a head. However, his finest hour was still to come. This time he was stepped up to 3m 2f for the Cheltenham Gold Cup - he had previously been considered a two-miler - and tackled the Champion Chase. The rain and snow had fallen relentlessly at Cheltenham on Gold Cup day made the racecourse going heavy. These were conditions hardly suited to Desert Orchid, especially at this left-handed course which he never particularly favoured. However, his trainer David Elsworth was determined to run him. The Victor Chandler Handicap Chase is a Grade 3 National Hunt horse race in the United Kingdom for five-year-old and above horses run over a distance of 2 miles (3,219 metres) at Ascot Racecourse in January. ... The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the foremost Chase in the United Kingdom, run at Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. ...

A crowd of over 58,000 witnessed Desert Orchid's effort to overhaul the mud-loving Yahoo in the final stages of the race. After his one and a half length victory, Desert Orchid's rider, Simon Sherwood said: "I've never known a horse so brave. He hated every step of the way in the ground and dug as deep as he could possibly go". Three cheers were called as Desert Orchid was unsaddled, surrounded by thousands of fans.

In 1989 Dessie again returned at Wincanton with victory under a new pilot, Richard Dunwoody. After a second in the Tingle Creek, he headed for Kempton and his annual Boxing Day outing, where he took his third King George beating Barnbrook Again, this time as the 4/6 favourite. He followed up with a win at Wincanton and then took the Racing Post Chase at Kempton. A third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup preceded Desert Orchid's convincing win in the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse. He was given top weight of 12 stone, but was sent off the even money favourite and won by twelve lengths despite a horrible mistake at the last fence. The Racing Post Chase is a Grade 3 National Hunt horse race in the United Kingdom for five-year-old and above horses run over a distance of 3 miles (4,828 metres) at Kempton Park Racecourse in late February. ... The Irish Grand National is an annual horse racing event which takes place in Fairyhouse Racecourse, Ratoath, north of Dublin City. ...

Dessie did not reappear until November 1990, finishing second in the Haldon Gold Cup. A fourth in the Tingle Creek followed, before the King George. Incredibly, Dessie made the 1990 race his fourth King George victory.

Dessie had three more races in the 1990/91 season, his final ever victory coming in the Agfa Diamond Chase at Sandown on 2nd February 1991. His final start of the season was a 15 length third to Garrison Savannah in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The Garrison Savannah in the country of Barbados, is a horse racing venue located within the Garrison Historic Area, just outside of the capital-city Bridgetown. ...

And so to Dessie's final season, where he was beaten in his first outing at Wincanton, the race he had made his own and which now bears his name. He finished third in the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon before falling when at the rear of the 1991 King George field at Kempton, bidding for his fifth win.

Time was called on his illustrious career. Desert Orchid retired in December 1991, and survived a life threatening operation a year later. As a competitor his presence is missed. Desert Orchid's breathtaking jumps were one of the most compelling sights in racing. Dessie traditionally led out the parade of runners for the King George VI Chase. The King George VI Chase is a United Kingdom National Hunt horse race for five-year-old and above horses run over a distance of 3 miles at Kempton Park Racecourse on Boxing Day. ...

Dessie's record at right-handed tracks such as Kempton was always substantially better than his record at left-handed tracks such as Cheltenham. He had a tendency to jump to his right especially when tired. This meant that at tracks such as Cheltenham he would lose lengths by drifting to the outside. This tendency can be seen by his runs in the 1987 and 1988 Queen Mother Champion Chase and 1989 and 1990 Cheltenham Gold Cup. On each occasion he entered the home wide of his rivals. Dessie raced left-handed on 13 occasions(1). However, 8 were at the Cheltenham Festival and 2 at the Grand National meeting. The other 3 were very early in his career. His part-owner Richard Burridge stated in a book that this was the reason Dessie never entered the Grand National as connections felt he could do himself serious injury at the ninety-degree Canal Turn especially on the second circuit. The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a United Kingdom National Hunt horse race for five-year-old and above horses run over a distance of 2 miles at Cheltenham Racecourse during the Cheltenham Festival in March. ... The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the foremost Chase in the United Kingdom, run at Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. ... The Cheltenham Festival is the most prestigious meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom. ... The Grand National is the most valuable National Hunt handicap horse race in the United Kingdom. ...

Desert Orchid won 34 of his 70 starts, amassing £654,066 in prizemoney. Since his retirement Dessie raised thousands of pounds for charity, and his mere presence at charity events brought the public in their droves.

Desert Orchid died on the 13th November, 2006, aged 27. According to former trainer David Elsworth, the horse died peacefully in his stable.

References