Horse Racing 1991 King George VI Chase Desert Orchid final race

[Duszki]

I don't even think the punters that won were that bothered, just the fact that after his fall, he came safe...

[cdheale]

enjoyed our debate bm43..and loved your videos.have posted a comment on your You Tube channel thread but its queued for approval

[cdheale]

No horse that wins 3 gold cups and a king george is a joke..whatever the quality of opposition

[bluemanc43]

@cdheale But thats the modern problem yes they can because of training advancements they can be got fully fit at home so no pressure is placed on them on the track as would have been in the past. See You Then set the standard in the mid 80's traina fragile champion for the day thats what he was known as See You When? but it worked. Best Mate wasnt fragile but couldnt cope with races close together and certainly not ones that would put him under pressure apart from the Gold Cup.

[cdheale]

But Dessie was beaten twice at Sandown. PN saw what Best Mate achieved and took the view that because of Kauto's lighter athletic build he would not wear him out in handicaps. He was unafraid to run Denman in handicaps because he had the robust build of an old fashioned chaser. Incidentally Denman won his 2 hennessys off 161 and 174 ..Kauto got beat a length by Monets Garden, ( finishing 20 lengths clear of Exotic Dancer ) off a mark of 179 so his handicap performance was perfectly respectable

[bluemanc43]

@cdheale Best Mate is a joke he beat nothing of note in virtually any race yet is a great because he won 3 Gold Cups not to me he aint. I gave far more respect to Kauto in losing to Monets Garden than I ever had previously because he lost to a top class horse narrowly proving how highly he was rated may be correct but its the only 1 that you can rate where as Dessie did it season after season.

[bluemanc43]

@cdheale Difference between Dessie and Kauto for me is Dessie raced in Grade 1 Company and top class handicaps over hurdles and fences for 8 seasons he also had 30 more races than Kauto yet all we hear is Kautos longivity, Oh please level weight contests dont bottom top class chasers as 9 times out of 10 they race inferior fields and like i told somebody else Beef or Salmon won 10 Grade 1s all in Ireland is he a legend???

[cdheale]

Each will have their fans ..and they are both true greats..but i have seen both Dessie and Kauto in the flesh and my own view is that KS is the more versatile, particularly because of his ability to win on both right handed and left handed tracks. It does not denigrate him merely because he didn't attempt a Whitbread or Hennessy. Denman was his equal and superior at Cheltenham but as a galloper rather than a speed horse he could not act at Aintree or kempton nor win a Tingle Creek

[bluemanc43]

@cdheale Kauto is virtually equally as good either way round Denman was even worse affected than Dessie in his aversion but Denman was certainly the better horse round Cheltenham than either Kauto or Dessie. Denman I agree wasnt versitile like Kauto or Dessie and dont forget if the Tingle Creek was still a handicap as it was in Dessies day Kauto wouldnt have even lined up never mind won it.

[cdheale]

So Kauto couldn't win a KG at 11 ? Yeah right ! Dessie was a great but Kauto's achievements surpass him... 2 Gold Cup wins plus 2 Gold Cup places and 5 King George wins versus 1 GC win, 2 places and 4 King Georges.

[bluemanc43]

@cdheale Both are great horses Kauto was lucky enough to have a nemesis his equal and for me better in Denman and cant even claim to be the top rated performer of his time Master Minded has been rated higher and currently Big Bucks has a higher rating. Just because a horse wins level weight races framed for them and no other dont make them the best ever after all Golden Miller won 5 Gold Cups and a Grand National each are legends of their time and we enjoy them while we can.

[uhegbu]

A sad end to a great steeplechaser and a true Kempton legend, Desert Orchid.

[imgonnastayeighteen]

does anybody know who the jockey was? richard dunwoody?

[ALmyster4791]

@imgonnastayeighteen Yes Dunwoody rode him from 1989 till 1991

[emmelby]

The reception from the crowd made me teary, and I didn't even know about Desert Orchid until a few years ago, due to being in the wrong hemisphere.

[MeMeMeMeMeMeMeMeAndU]

How many well backed horses get a reception like that after they've just got beat? Not many i'm sure. Dessie was simply a joy to watch and anyone who really loves horse racing & who was around to watch him race should thank their lucky stars that they got to see a real champ.

[aquamarineeyes]

Watching this race after so long has made my eyes fill with tears of joy at the reception the crowd gave Dessie when he came home safe n sound. The commentator was more interested in Dessie than the eventual winner and that says a lot about the old boy! Dessie you are sadly sadly missed. R.I.P.

[Jamie2462A]

Kauto has proved himself to be as good as Dessie if not better. Just because he does not give a way weight does not make him a worse of a horse. The idea is to complete at the pinnicle of your sport. For these 2 its the Gold Cup and King George. Surely that puts Kauto right up there with the best, along side Dessie, Arkle and Golden Miller. Beating the horses he did was nothing less than totally amazing. Its not who he beat...its how he beats them!!

[ALmyster4791]

@Jamie2462A Ok get your gold cup point but.... who of any decency has Kauto beat in a Gold Cup. Exsotic Dancer wasnt top level and Denman had a dodgy ticker.

My point is, Dessie beat good horses off levels.... and he thrashed the same good horses giving then nearly 2 stone. Kauto couldnt give away 1.

Kauto is good.... But he couldnt win a KG at 11 (should have been 10 but for the posponment) Dessie thrashed a gold cup winner by 17lngth at 11 and gave away 1st 1lb and WON at 12. Could Kauto Star?

[littlebay75]

i never noticed the dessie in disgrace comment before that was poor he had run his heart out and came home safe thankfully the cameraman was more concerned with him than the finish of the race such a legend as he was !!!!

[Jamie2462A]

For the record Kauto could only beat 1 GC winner in this race and he did so by 50 Lengths (IC) 2005 and 2006 GC winners got injured. KS won 2007,09 and Denman won the 08 race but never ran in this race. How is he expected to beat GC winners when they dont turn up to this race?

This is a great Vid and when he fell the commentator used the word "DISGRACE" What an idiot!! The crowd reaction when Dessie came home summed up the great grey. Just like the GC Last year when KS came home after falling.

[ALmyster947]

@Jamie2462A Thats the whole point with Kauto's rating. He has a massive rating against shit horses. He, IMO, doesnt deserve such a rating, neither do Imperial Commander or Denman. They are beating complete dross. Master Minded is worthy of a high rating, but maybe not as high as he is on.

I get Graham Goode sayin "In disgrace".... I think he means Dessie was in disgrace

[ALmyster947]

The fact that Dessie was still hanging on the back of those class horses at almost 13 shows just how good he was. He never knew how 2 give up n never knew when he was beat, which wasnt often.

And that chear he got passing the line is the most heart warming moment in racing.

All hail the king.... Desert Orchid. The horse of a life time

[greggles1902]

the weight carrying performances desert orchid produced were fantastic...these days there are to many soft top races...tingles creeks, victor chandlers, whitbreads, racing post, gainsboro chase.....great weight carrying performances..even if kildimo did give him 1lb in the whitbread. i think thats why the horses from 15 plus years ago had it alot tougher and touched people more

[ComteLafon]

the real pity now is that Kempton is now with its all-weather, we can't get onto the far rail as you can see there. It was far more atmospheric, and standing near the final fence was wonderful.

I don't want to start any arguments, but Our Vic and Exotic Dancer are two benchmark horses that won many top class races, and Kauto's rating is based on the fact that he beat them out of sight two or three times. But quite why people get in a lather about two brilliant racehorses is beyond me.

[foriamonlyahorse1]

The winner of the race, The Fellow, was beaten 19 lengths by Dessie the year before in the same race. Dessie, then rising 13, needed soft ground for his old legs in this race but it came up quick.

This was actually regarded as the weakest renewall he had faced at the time, but even so, the race still had Gold Cup winners & placed horses, Champion Chasers etc. unlike the ordinary handicappers that Kauto Star has faced each year!!

DESERT ORCHID the real KING of KEMPTON!! RIP.

[greggles1902]

i saw gg commentate at a point to point meeting at whitwell on the hill and he was shocking.. got everything wrong

[greggles1902]

graham goode.....desert orchid in disgrace......bloody idiot. des still gets the biggest cheer...a legend that transcended the sport....no need for 'racing for change' back then...des did all the publicity work himself...gone but never forgotten



[foriamonlyahorse1]

@greggles1902 That was his worse ever comment....moronic even.

[greggles1902]

graham goode.....desert orchid in disgrace......bloody idiot. des still gets the biggest cheer...a legend that transcended the sport....no need for 'racing for change' back then...des did all the publicity work himself...gone but never forgotten

[irishbraq]

now these were horses! even sabin du loir was no slouch

[irishbraq]

now these were horses!

[mightymoscowflyer]

what great memories!you should get these burnt to disk and get them sold on ebay id buy some copies!!!

[Arazi124]

I haven't seen this race in a long time. Bloody hell, Remmittance Man had that field cooked coming into the straight, the distance was too far in the end for him. At least he made up for it in the Champion Chase later in the season, he was a superb racehorse and a fantastic jumper. Obviously great to see Desert Orchid get up. It was always going to be tough for him at that stage of his career to be competitive with the younger horses.

[flimper1]

Can't believe this was as long ago as 91, feel old now :(

[yip35]

This still makes me cry after all these years! Good old Dessie :)

[foriamonlyahorse1]

@Katabatic77 The Fellow did win the race again & then a Gold Cup. Worth remembering an on form 11 year old Desert Orchid beat The Fellow 19 lengths in this race.

Prior that he beat fine greats such as Forgive & Forget, Barnbrook Again, Wayward Lad & fine grade one horses like Kildimo, Cavvies Clown, Charter Party, Bolands Cross, Beau Ranger, Toby Tobias, Yahoo, Door Latch etc. etc.

Who has Kauto Star beat?

[XLadyClaireX]

I was there that day, didn't know Dessie had fallen cos I could hardly hear the commentator! But shall never forget the cheers as Dessie ran past riderless with all grass stains up his side.