Desert Orchid Chase Odds

What is the Desert Orchid Chase?

The Desert Orchid Chase is a Grade Two contest run over a trip of two miles at Kempton Park.

The race is open to horses aged four and over and there are twelve fences in total to be jumped on the second day of the winter festival at the London track.

Named after the great Desert Orchid, who made his name at Kempton with four wins in the King George VI Chase, it replaced the old Castleford Chase on the calendar when it was first run in 2006.

Punters flock to Kempton for the Christmas meeting with the Desert Orchid Chase taking place on the 27th December, the day after the feature King George on Boxing Day.

What happened in the 2020 Desert Orchid Chase?

This race seemed sure to revolve around the great Altior, who was making his first appearance of the season after bypassing the Tingle Creek at Sandown. He didn't look comfortable from an early stage on soft going, however, allowing the six-year-old Nube Negra to get into an excellent rhythm for the Skelton team.

Travelling well throughout, Nube Negra picked up the lead from the front-running Duc Des Genievres at two fences out, before going clear at the last. Altior did rally late on, and seemed to get better the further he went, but the ship had sailed, and Nube Negra launched himself into the Champion Chase picture with this stunning 20/1 upset. 

The history of the Desert Orchid Chase

First run in 2006, the race was of course created in honour of "Dessie" who remains one of the best and most popular horses of the 20th century. The famous grey won the King George at Kempton four times during his career and this race takes place the day after the feature race of the season at the London venue.

The Grade Two race has attracted some top class winners in recent years including Voy Por Ustedes, Finian's Rainbow, Sire De Grugy, Sprinter Sacre and Altior who are all winners of the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

The Desert Orchid Chase falls perfectly on the calendar for horses looking to peak in the spring and we can once again expect another stellar list of entries this season.

Who is the most iconic winner of the Desert Orchid Chase?

We have already mentioned that the Desert Orchid Chase has only been going since 2006 but the roll of honour is one of the most impressive in the sport.

A plethora of Champion Chase winners have scored in the Desert Orchid at Kempton on their way to Cheltenham but top of the charts is Sprinter Sacre who remains an icon of the sport. The Nicky Henderson trained legend won the Kempton contest in 2015 on his way to a second Queen Mother win at Prestbury Park and the sight of the seven Barrows star back to his best will be a memory that lives long in the hearts of racing fans and punters.

Are there any trials for the Desert Orchid Chase?

The two mil chasing division in the UK has a a clear programme with a host of top class races for punters to follow through the winter on the road to Prestbury Park in the spring.

Potential runners at Kempton are likely to have run in the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham or the Tingle Creek at Sandown with some of the best horses in training likely to have appeared in those two contests. The Tingle Creek would be the biggest race of the season outside of the Festival so it would be by no means a "trial" for the Desert Orchid but the Kempton contest could well be the next stepping stone after Sandown.

Who is the most successful jockey in the Desert Orchid Chase?

The short history of the race has been dominated by some brilliant horses and top class riders with Barry Geraghty top of the charts with three successes to his name. The Irish jock has won the race on Petit Robin (2009), Finian's Rainbow (2011) and Special Tiara (2014) so far during his career.

Who is the most successful trainer in the Desert Orchid Chase?

Nicky Henderson has won the Desert Orchid Chase four times during his illustrious career with Petit Robin (2009), Finian's Rainbow (2011), Sprinter Sacre (2015) and Altior (2018) all scoring for the Seven Barrows handler.