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Desert Orchid
"On With The Show!" . . . In Your Own Hands
Desert Orchid
Every year in the racing world we see really good horses race and every
so often a great horse comes along, but just occasionally we are graced
with a legend.
I have been fortunate to have had three of those legends in my
lifetime. The first of them was in the sixties, the immortal Arkle. Undeniably the very best chaser of all time. Red Rum followed
in the seventies. Three times a winner and twice runner up of the
formidable Grand National from five starts in the race. This grand old
boy died in 1995 at the age of 30 and is now buried by the winning post
at the Aintree course where he built his legendary status.
This last Monday morning, November 13th at around 6am, the third of those legends passed away at the age of 27.
On
the track, he was a star who showed tremendous courage and will to win,
off the track he was an ambassador for our sport who basked in the
attention of loyal fans and the media.
His name, Desert Orchid.
David Elsworth (trainer). "Desert Orchid died peacefully in his
stable at 6.05am. There was no stress; he departed from this world with
dignity and no fuss. He did his dying in the same individual way that
he did his living. It was time to go.
Dessie had
not been well for the past week and was losing his co-ordination and
Richard Burridge (part owner) visited only yesterday along with Janice
Coyle (ex groom).
Our thanks goes to David Bartram from Greenwood Ellis for his kind help in making his last days comfortable.
He
was 27 years old and we had been involved with this wonderful horse for
quarter of a century both in his racing days and retirement.Everybody
will miss him and our sympathy goes to his adoring public and fan club
that never ceased to take opportunities to see him at his public
appearances".
Desert Orchid was born on April 11th
1979, a result of the mating of Grey Mirage and Flower Child and was
not a particularly attractive foal, but people weren’t to know that a
racing legend had just been born.
As he approached the age
of four, he went into training with a very astute trainer named David
Elsworth, who then proceeded to educate the horse and prepared him for
a career over hurdles.
For those who are not familiar
with jumps racing in England and Ireland, it’s a world away from the
odd hurdles race at Saratoga, or jumping at Far Hills. This is a
complete discipline all of it’s own, extremely well supported (equal to
flat racing), but exudes infinitely more passion and emotion than its
racing cousin. The pinnacle of jumps racing is the Cheltenham Festival
in March, where a winner is in many cases, the ultimate aspiration for
a jumps owner. Along the way there are many other notable races, with
the King George VI Chase over 3 miles at Kempton on Boxing Day, as
probably the finest mid-season level weighted target for a staying
chaser.
In his early years (and latter) Desert Orchid had
usually only one way to race, get to the front and gallop the
opposition into the ground. In his first ever race, at Kempton over 2
miles on January 11th 1983, he was a beaten horse when he
fell at the last hurdle as a 50/1 outsider and when those ominous green
screens went up around the prostrate horse, many thought it was to be
the first and last race for the unfamiliar grey. Fortunately for us
all, he was only winded and eventually got to his feet no worse for the
tumble. He raced a further three times that season in novice hurdles
and managed to secure a second place finish at Sandown.
As
he gained experience, he turned out to be a fairly useful horse over
hurdles and as with fences, if anything was taking him on, they were
going too fast. As a stronger horse in his second season, still a
novice, he won six from seven, before having a go at the big guns in
the Champion Hurdle (2m), where he weakened just after halfway and
finished down the field.
In his third season racing, life
over hurdles became much harder, now having to race against the top
hurdlers of his generation and managing just the single win.
In
the October of 1985, he made his seasonal debut over hurdles at Kempton
and was well clear when he fell 2 from home. The decision was then made
to transfer to novice chases and it was over the bigger obstacles that
he showed us all what an exceptional horse he was and in turn, what
made him ultimately a household name. He won four from nine, but his
losses were all to other very useful novices of his day, so he was not
disgraced.
As he commenced the 1986/7 season, he was now
out from the shelter of the novice ranks and out to play with the big
boys. He won first time up in a decent looking 20f handicap at Sandown,
but had to contend with a third to Church Warden and Berlin at Ascot
next time, again over 2m 4f. Out again on December 13th at
his beloved Kempton, he won a 2 mile handicap chase and that set him on
target for a step up in trip and also class for one of the top races of
the season, the 3 mile King George VI chase at Kempton on Boxing Day
(level weights). Forgive ‘n’ Forget (1985 Gold Cup winner) was the 2/1
favourite, but also in the race were some of the best and most
experienced chasers in the country such as Wayward Lad (three times
King George winner trained by Michael Dickenson), Doorlatch trained by
Josh Gifford and Bolands Cross from the Nick Gaselee yard. Sent off at
16/1, he ran them absolutely ragged, jumping them all into submission
and winning comfortably by 15 lengths.
……………………….Dessie, the superlative chaser had arrived.
He
went on win the King George four times in all, along with numerous
victories in top class races such as the Whitbread Gold Cup (3m 5f),
Irish National (3m 4f), Martel Cup (3m 1f), Racing Post Chase (3m),
Tingle Creek (2m), Victor Chandler (2m), Gainsborough Chase (3m 1f) and
Agfa Diamond Chase (3m 1f), run most times in his usual aggressive and
highly competitive style. If there were any negative aspects to be
found in this horse, it was that he was always a little vulnerable when
racing lefthanded.
After numerous attempts, he eventually
won at Cheltenham in 1989, taking the prestigious Cheltenham Gold Cup
over 3m 2f in atrocious conditions. Digging deep to the depths of his
courage and tenacity, he ground out a win from the resolute stayer
Yahoo, a race that put itself firmly and deservedly into racing
folklore. He looked a beaten horse approaching 2 out, but just wouldn’t
be denied as he found more and more from somewhere to overpower the
lead from the courageous Yahoo up the infamous Cheltenham hill, in what
was desperately heavy ground as the capacity crowd blew a fuse. I’ve
never experienced such an outburst of emotion as that from his win in
this famous race. Everybody was cheering and celebrating, hats were
flying, total strangers hugging each other and many tears were shed. A
release of passion that is so readily evident in National Hunt racing.
The applause when he entered the winners enclosure was simply deafening
and he adored every minute of it.
The following year he was
back as the odds on favourite to win the Gold Cup again, but was beaten
by that very underestimated horse and obvious favourite of mine,
Norton’s Coin. Trained by the Welsh dairy farmer Sirrell Griffiths, he
obliged at the tasty odds of 100/1 and broke the track record in the
process, proving the result was no fluke. Dessie stayed on valiantly up
the hill, but the writing was on the wall approaching the last and he
finished a gallant third that day. The impassioned crowd were willing
him to find that little extra reserve that had become part of the
Desert Orchid trademark, brave though he was, it wasn’t to be and it
was left for Norton’s Coin and Toby Tobias to fight it out to the line.
That stamina sapping race was quickly put behind him, as
four weeks later he lined up at Fairyhouse in Ireland for the 3m 4f
Irish National. Such was his superiority, he was allotted top weight of
12 stone (168lbs), one other in the race carried 142lbs and the rest of
a decent field 140lbs. In the style that he made all of his own, he
blazed a trail around this Irish track and won comfortably by all of 12
lengths.
What sets him on that pedestal above all the other
pretenders, is the fact that he could race over all distances and any
ground (heavy to firm) and more importantly, give huge lumps of weight
away to very useful horses and beat them. In recent years, the
ill-fated Best Mate, a triple Gold Cup winner was widely touted in a
similar class, but he raced infrequently and selectively, never having
to give weight away in a true handicap and I think that’s what really
gives a horse standing in jumps racing.
Desert Orchid
started his career as a 4 year old and retired at 12 and therefore,
unlike most flat horses, people could relate to the horse year after
year. In addition, he was a very attractive dashing grey horse with a
distinct front running style, bottomless courage and a charismatic
presence that captivated the whole country. On the racecourse, he was a
very sound animal and the biggest problem to the trainer was one of
corns. He never once raced on medication (Lasix), which is banned
anyway in the UK (and the rest of the world!!) and always, always gave
his best.
Life in retirement was good for Desert Orchid
and certainly not an idle one; he was often out at charity events,
opening centers, or parading with other past winners at Cheltenham,
Sandown or Kempton. His very presence ‘earned’ thousands for charity
and although his appearances were progressively reduced in his latter
years, a sprightly grey was seen out at a charity event for the
Wavertree Charitable Trust held at the National Stud this summer. He
stayed either with David Elsworth, or with his owner in Yorkshire
during retirement years and this year made the move to stay permanently
with his former trainer who relocated to Newmarket. He had a close call
with colic during his retirement years, but otherwise stayed very fit
and healthy and even when well into his twenties, he gave the strong
impression that he would have loved nothing more than to join the
youngsters in the race and show them a thing or two, rather than just
jig jog in the parade before an appreciative crowd.
A testimony of how this great horse is revered is that ALL
the national papers in the UK carried extensive coverage of his death.
The Racing Post being the trade paper had a 12 page detailed supplement
and even the highbrow Times put together a 2 page obituary…………..This is
all the more remarkable as the horse has been collecting his pension
for 15 years!!!
He started his career at Kempton in 1983
with a fall and ended his career at Kempton in 1991, also with a fall.
His presence in the parade at the King George meeting on Boxing Day
will be sorely missed this year, however his ashes will be buried in a
ceremony at the Kempton meeting on December 27th, close to a statue that stands proud to commemorate this epitome of a racehorse.
He won 34 races from 70 starts.
I
have to admit, although the news was not totally unexpected, I was
saddened to read of his passing. The mention of his name never fails to
bring back memories of his finest hours, that Gold Cup, the titanic
struggle against Panto Prince when conceding him 22lbs in the Victor
Chandler at Ascot, or again two weeks later conceding 18lbs to the very
useful Pegwell Bay, or that battle up the Sandown hill fending off his
old adversary Kildimo in the Whitbread.
For those memories, thank you.
Nigel.
Remembering a legend...
1989
Cheltenham Gold Cup - (L-R): The ill-fated Ten Plus, Yahoo, Desert
Orchid, West Tip, Charter Party ('88 winner) and The Thinker ('87
winner).
(Back to the top)
"On with the show!" ... In Your Own Hands
As a writer, I am always searching for information; always gathering
news and observing trends related to horse lovers. This isn't limited
to breeding, raising, feeding and showing. It goes much further than
that. Today, horse lovers have broadened into psychology, fashion,
legislation and all manner of discoveries, coming at us in a
bombardment of information like never before.
Like all of us, I find this information on TV, in magazines, papers,
newsletters, radio, Internet, at seminars, conventions, lectures and in
the movies. And, like many of us, I wonder why more of it isn't on the
sports pages of my local newspaper.
Recently,
an editorial in one of the foremost horse magazines illustrated the
scope of this question. I've been observing the writings of this editor
for a while now, because very few minds in animal husbandry dare to say
out loud what he is expressing. This particular editorial caught my
attention as if it was written in bold print.
What was he saying that "hit the mark?" He was telling it like it is.
He
was saying that, as a kid, he knew the make of a gun better than he
knew anything about horses. Put into today's perspective, kids know
guns, cars and drugs better than they know horses. Why is this?
With
all the media we have at our disposal, where are horses while these
kids are growing up? Have they just evaporated into thin air?
For
an answer, I went to a place where I so often do my best thinking. I
went to a horse show. I looked around at all the people. I studied the
artists and vendors at their booths. I felt the sense of excitement and
the pulsing murmur of voices. It was good. It was creative.
It was inspired by the love of horses.
But,
was the local newspaper covering this gathering of people? An estimated
twenty-thousand people walked through the gates of that show in two
days. Did reporters cover the event? I didn't see any.
So, I
asked myself: Why not? I asked myself why so many people must stumble
into our world of horses instead of knowing about it as well as they
know about
baseball, or football or golf? And, just like the
magazine editor I mentioned at the beginning of this article, I knew
the power to change this was in our own hands.
But, how do we
make such changes? Actually, it's as simple as taking a piece of clay
in my studio and shaping it into whatever you want it to be. The clay
can be compared to "Life." And you, as the artist, can transform that
clay into whatever you want it to be.
I guess, after a
lifetime of working with clay and paints, I do make it sound easier
than what it is. But, not really. You see, making a sculpture in clay
-- or a painting, a book, a song or anything creative -- is a matter of
making the right choices and decisions leading up to the objective you
hold in mind. If the objective is to raise the profile of our horses in
the public eye, it means reaching out to decision-makers who speak to
the public.
Every horse show, every dog show, every pet expo is
a public event. It's news in the town, county and state in which it
happens. It's news when thousands of people attend a special event.
Spreading
this news isn't just up to the "powers that be." It's up to the
players, themselves, too. If your horse wins a class, or your dog show
business has something new to offer, these things are of interest to
the general public. It doesn't hurt to type them up as a brief report
and send them to a newspaper editor.
If enough horse lovers
send reports of their victories to their local newspapers, radio
stations and TV stations, these places will report them. If not, then
ask why. Do whatever you must to make your stories interesting enough
-- important enough -- for news coverage. That's how public opinion is
shaped: just like a piece of clay. And this kind of clay is in the
hands of horse lovers like you.
COMMENTS & QUESTIONS
How do you write something for the newspaper?
When
something like this is written for the paper, or radio or TV, it's
called a 'press release.' There isn't really a special format for press
releases, except that they include certain basic information. Be sure
your press release is typewritten, that it includes the name of the
organization holding the event, the person a reporter should contact
for more information and a concise report of what happened (or what is
going to happen). Brief and to the point is best when it comes to these
things. And make sure everything is spelled correctly!
How do we know if an editor is going to run our story?
You
don't. All you can be sure of, is that the editor (or someone in the
newsroom) has seen your story ... they might run it or they might not.
But, you can count on them noticing if you submit another story on down
the line. And, eventually, they could very well start publishing your
reports. Especially if other horse lovers in your area are doing the
same thing. That kind of activity catches their attention.
Any other advice?
Yes.
A lot of horse lovers are afraid of sending out press releases. Yet the
more publicity horse lovers get, the stronger our numbers will be. This
will have an impact on everything affecting horses in our town, our
state and our whole country. Most important, it means those kids we
talked about will see how their love of horses can be the ticket to a
whole new world.
-------------------------------
Figurines,
paintings, and stories by author/artist Ron Hevener are collected by
animal lovers everywhere. Visitors to Hevener's studio can see dogs,
horses and wildlife that inspire novels like Fate of the Stallion, The
Blue Ribbon and High Stakes. For more information about Ron Hevener,
his books and his artwork, please visit: www.ronhevener.com
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