Desert Orchid 1990 Irish National

[feathers666]

Brilliant show. On another note, now Health and Safety would certainly have had a fit with the peeps on the course dodging the loose horse(s) on the run in. Those were the days.

[foriamonlyahorse11]

@SouthsideofGlasgow Desert Orchid only ran a handful of times left handed for that very reason. Elsworth & others all have highlighted the FACT he hated going left handed. It was his courage & class that carried him through. On better ground he hammered Nortons Coin into oblivion at Kempton yet was beaten by him at Cheltenham on similar ground. He beat numerous horses as a youngster right handed but the same horses turned the form around left handed. Its not that difficult to work out.

[foriamonlyahorse11]

@SouthsideofGlasgow Are you serious? He hated going left handed!!! He was stone ++ inferior on all known form left handed (beat Yahoo 1.5l in GC yet beat him 16l in KG). Pulled up twice left handed ovcer hurdles & only won TWICE left handed, once at Cheltenham & once at Aintree. Feel free to check the facts. Yes, he was a great horse. He would have stayed the trip at Aintree (got 3m5f well at Sandown) but that Canal turn may have 'killed him' (his owners words).

[stardustmypony]

RedRum could have beaten that horse...

[tarporley2947]

without doubt the best chasing performance i have EVER seen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jenniesimpson76]

I remember watching this when i was 14 and my heart had never raced as fast till that point. Ive never missed a flat or jump race on the teley since, thankyou Dessie, RIP XX Wish my horse back then had some of his talent over jumps! Hee Hee

[aquamarineeyes]

IMO only Borough Hill Lad was a better horse than Dessie but he wasn't as consistent as The Flying Grey. Dessie was special big time and the public knew it!

[innit27]

I guess thats why Red Rum was the greatest because other greats like Arkle and Dessie were not tested on the National as considered too dangerous by their connections.

[jezerebellion]

Don't be bloody stupid. Arkle was by far and away a better horse than Red Rum. So he might have won a famous race a few times (although his most famous one was a fluke, Crisp ran the better race), but good gods man. Arkle was so good they had to change the rules when he ran in the Irish Grand National. He has the highest timeform EVER awarded, and dominated Cheltenham (and against Mill House, with the third highest timeform). Red Rum's advantage lies in the media, not in his quality.

[somerandomer]

i agree. crisp was carrying a huge amount more weight than red rum, and only lost it in the last hundred yards

[sexytim91]

@somerandomer Weight was certainly a factor but he led from the very start as well which was a mistake. Johnny frankum was a great jockey but he threw that race away, not taking anything from red rum.

[marsvltor2]

Lovely comment - in any case, the National was, and always will be, 'Joe Public's race' - the Gold Cup, on the other hand, is the enthusiasts' race, normally ran by classier horses. As for Arkle, look at his Timeform rating: 212 (Flying Bolt on 210, and no one else (ever) over 200...).

[somerandomer]

the national is a handicap. the winner of the gold cup is almost always the best chaser. eg the first year red rum won the national, he only won it almost on the line, but the other horse was carrying two stone more weight. red rum was not the greatest, arkle was

[sexytim91]

@somerandomer Spot on

[somerandomer]

@sexytim91

out of interest, which of my comments was this about?

[guffley]

innit27, what a silly thing to say !

[azertyuiop32]

but did red rum win a top class grade one beating the best off level weights?????

arkle did both (carried big weights in handicaps and beat the best off levels)

[ALmyster947]

The Grand National is only a handicap. You take out 20 of the horses n stick in normal fences and the race would disapear into oblivian. It is my fav race of the year, but in all honesty, its a nothing race. The King George, Champion Chase, Champion Hurdle, World Hurdle and The Gold Cup. They are the big races. The National is a novelty race. And I say that with it being my fav race. Full of cannon fodder every year. The champions (Kauto, Dessie e.t.c) have no reason 2 run in it

[foriamonlyahorse11]

@ALmyster947 Red Rum...cannon fodder? A race is a race. Whether it be a seller or a championship race. A horse gives it's all irrespective & puts it's life on the line. What you say is a bit like laymen who describe boxers as bums...tell you what, get between the ropes yourself!!

[ALmyster947]

@foriamonlyahorse11 Rocky calm yourself. You are totaly misreading wot Im saying. Red Rum was a handicaper of the highest level and was class at wot he did, but did he ever win a grade 1 race, no. But are you really telling me that every year, EVERY horse in the race is of the highest handicaping level. If you are then you have spent far 2 much time "between the ropes" yourself. Atleast a 3rd of every grand national field is full of cannon fodder, simply in the race 2 give the owners a day out

[foriamonlyahorse11]

@ALmyster947 All calm now...I was kinda 'under the influence' ! lol! Yes, I am aware Rummy was a handicapper. Dessie, well the Canal Turn would have been his undoing as he clearly hated going left handed & Kauto, well I doubt he'd get past the first three! It's a tough & unique race that has proved to be a great 'leveller'.

[gemmajustinsasha]

It never ran in the National I guess cause they were worried his jumping would be too enthusiastic and they worried like all I guess that they may loose him x x

[CMob09]

It never run the Grand National, whys that ?

[aquamarineeyes]

Dessie never ran in the Grand National as it was a left handed course (just like Cheltenham) as he preferred to run on right handed courses like Kempton. His connections were worried that on The Canal Turn (Grand National) fence he would lose too much ground as he naturally jumped to the right.

[jezerebellion]

Dessie was much stronger on right-handed courses than left ones - and tended to jump a bit to the right - you can see him doing it towards the end of the 89 cheltenham gold cup. The national is a lefty course, and with the high potential for injury on things like the canal turn, it just wasn't worth the risk of running him.

[somerandomer]

because it's the most overrated and dangerous race in the calendar

[horsewoman34]

he's gorgeous

[21shergar]

Desert Orchid was a national treasure. He was the gamest steeplechaser I've ever seen. Believe it or not, he became whiter still as he grew into old age.