Triumph for ‘Dessie’

Press, 18 March 1989, Page 30

Triumph for ‘Dessie’

NZPA-Reuter Cheltenham Desert Orchid proved himself in the class of the great Arkle when he won jump racing’s most prestigious prize, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, on Thursday. “Dessie,” as he is widely and affectionately known, started 5-2 favourite and won by lengths from the 25-1 outsider, Yahoo, with Charter Party (14-1) another eight lengths away in third place. It was an historic performance in appalling conditions, the ground made very heavy by over 10 hours of continuous rain and snow. Deset Orchid returned to a hero’s welcome, the cheers ringing out among the record, emotion-charged 40,000 crowd shivering in the cold. The handsome grey gelding, the most popular in training in Britain,

was winning his 27th race from 54 attempts and his eighth in succession for Sherwood, who has never lost on him. Desert Orchid overcame not only the going but also an inclination to perform less well on anti-clockwise circuits. Five previous attempts dating back to 1984 to win races at the Cheltenham festival had ended in failure, the horse’s tendency to jump and drift to the right counting against him on this circuit. But Desert Orchid put all that behind him with yet another memorable and superb display of bold, accurate jumping and sheer guts. His victory came 25 years to the day after that famous Irish ’chaser, Arkle, won the first of three Gold Cups, and Desert Orchid’s performance was just as exciting.