King George VI Free Tips Tribute For Desert Orchid

JumpingJockey.com are providing free premium tips on Boxing day in memory Desert Orchid during the King George VI at Kempton on Boxing day.

[ClickPress, Wed Nov 22 2006] Desert Orchid, a firm favourite of the JumpingJockey.com team and like the rest of the racing world and sports betting fans alike were deeply saddened when the world first true horse racing superstar died.

The JumpingJockey.com team will be celebrating the achievements and life of Desert Orchid by making premium tips available for free for the entire race card at Kempton on Boxing day.

The King George VI Chase was Dessie's race, he won it four times and captured the nations hearts. The team at JumpingJockey.com cannot think of a better way to honour the worlds first true racing horse superstar.

Tim Mehmet, director at JumpingJockey.com says: "What made Desert Orchid so special was his iron will to win, he would often find himself being taken on in the closing stages of a gut wrenching race and would then dig a little deeper somehow to come back ".

"Desert Orchids attitude was special and we've been waiting for another like him since his retirement, only Best Mate came close, but he was a very different horse indeed".

Many people would make the trip to Kempton and Cheltenham every year just to get a glimpse of the great one himself who would make an appearance for his adoring public. He was around for so long after he retired that people really never thought that Desert Orchid might some day pass away, when the news came it was a shock to many. The reaction to the news really hit home how much he was loved, the national newspapers all ran multi page spreads and the news made the broadcasts on both TV and radio around the world as well as the internet.

Desert Orchids life is also an intersting one, his start in life was relatively humble unlike many of the top chasers today and he went on the win the biggest prize in chasing against all the so called experts and professional opinions, the highlight being the 1989 Cheltenham Gold Cup, whats more, he he did it the hard way, from the front.

The 1989 Gold Cup race is generally regarded as the greatest race ever ran and the JumpingJockey.com Team agree:

"If you ever get a chance to watch the 89 Gold cup you'll see that Dessie did it the hardest way possible, from the front. If you try to win it from the front you have to try and strech the field but Dessie did'nt, the high calibre horses were still there more than half way round when they sensed dessie was getting tired they launched attacks one by one. Having led for so long if Dessie were to have a chance in the muddy conditions, he had to follow each attack, it was real gut wrenching stuff for him, as soon as he saw off one attack, another would come and he had to follow, it was relentless and after the last fence he was still behind but he refused to give in and he managed to find more from somewhere after running half a mile more than he was used to running."

"If ever a horse deserved a movie about their life, Dessie for sure is one, a real rags to riches story, having been discarded by his regular jockey to evetually have the worlds top jockeys wating in line for a chance to ride him and seemingly doing the impossible whilst carrying weights that would break a camels back, it would be an epic movie, no doubt about it!".

After the Gold Cup, Desert Orchids next target was the Grand National but at this point Dessie was so loved that the public and the newspapers began a campaign to have his connections remove him from he race. To have a national treasure risked in such a dangerous race was deemed unacceptable and eventually to the relief of both the nation and racing fans from around the world, he was withdrawn. Few doubted he could have won the Grand National, but that was no longer the point, Dessie was special.

JumpingJockey.com will cover the entire race card at Kempton on the Boxing day, racing fans can receive the tips for this event via email or by simply visiting their website (www.jumpingjockey.com) on the day to view the tips for the day.

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Notes to editors, Jumpingjockey.com provide tipping services for UK horse racing, establised in January 2006.

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