English racehorse. He won the National Hunt Horse of the Year Award a record four times. Out of 70 career races he had 34 wins, 11 seconds, and 8 thirds. Wins include the Cheltenham Gold Cup (1989), King George VI Chase (1986, 1988, 1989, 1990), Racing Post Chase (1990), Cheltenham Gold Cup (1989), Whitbread Gold Cup (1988), and Irish Grand National (1990). He retired in 1991, and died in 2006 at the age of 27. He was buried at Kempton Park racecourse, where many of his most memorable triumphs took place.
Desert Orchid (April 11, 1979 – November 13, 2006) was a racehorse from England. He was rated the fourth best National Hunt horse of all time by Timeform
Early career
Desert Orchid's first season started in an unspectacular fashion.
However, Desert Orchid started the following season (1983/1984) on a winning note, again in novice company at Ascot. In this season he won six of his eight starts, his final race of the season being an unplaced effort behind Dawn Run in the 1984 Champion Hurdle.
David Elsworth's grey was no longer eligible for novice hurdles in 1984/5 and struggled to recapture his early form.
Steeplechase career
Desert Orchid was then switched to steeplechasing, and ran up a sequence of four wins in chases at Devon and Exeter, Sandown and Ascot (twice) before unseating at Ascot.
Back at Ascot he won over 2 miles before returning to Kempton Park where he tackled Grade 1 company in the King George VI Chase and ran out a 15 length winner over Door Latch, easily defeating stars such as Wayward Lad, Forgive n'Forget, Combs Ditch and Bolands Cross. This was Desert Orchid's first win under jockey Simon Sherwood.
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 returned to win over 2½ miles at Ascot before being pulled up in the Whitbread Gold Cup on his final outing of the 1986/7 season.
A string of places followed in 1987, second at Sandown (2 miles), second in the 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 Aintree, which was his first win on a left-handed track, and the Whitbread Gold Cup at Sandown where Simon Sherwood rode him for the first time.
One of Desert Orchid's greatest efforts took place in the 1989 Victor Chandler Handicap Chase where he took on four rivals, including the top-class Panto Prince and Vodkatini.
However, his finest hour was still to come.
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.
In 1989 Desert Orchid again won at Wincanton, this time with a new jockey, Richard Dunwoody. 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.
Desert Orchid did not reappear until November 1990, finishing second in the Haldon Gold Cup. A fourth in the Tingle Creek followed, before the King George VI Chase, which he won for the fourth time.
Desert Orchid had three more races in the 1990/91 season, his final ever victory coming in the Agfa Diamond Chase at Sandown on February 2, 1991.
In his last season, 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, attempting his fifth win.
Retirement
Desert Orchid retired in December 1991, and survived a life threatening operation a year later.
His record at right-handed tracks such as Kempton was always substantially better than his record at left-handed tracks such as Cheltenham.
His part-owner Richard Burridge has stated that it was for this reason that Desert Orchid was never entered for the Grand National: connections felt he could do himself serious injury at the ninety-degree Canal Turn especially on the second circuit.
Desert Orchid won 34 of his 70 starts, amassing £654,066 in prize money.
Desert Orchid died on November 13, 2006, aged 27.
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