Assembling the Ideal Steeplechaser: Exploring the Key Components, from Dessie’s Heart to a Sprinter’s Engine

Dessie’s heart, Sprinter’s engine . . . Who else is in the mix as I build my perfect steeplechaser?

Cheering myself up on Thursday after the news broke, I found myself watching some of the great runnings of the race and it proved a pretty decent way to spend an evening. Ever since Desert Orchid won a memorable first running of the Victor Chandler as it was back in 1989, this race has been won by some of the real greats of the sport and the eclectic mix of qualities sent me down another path – pondering which horses since that inaugural race would make up my perfect steeplechaser.

Fittingly, Desert Orchid provided the perfect starting point. Any ideal chaser would have to possess his heart and courage, qualities that were very much on display in 1989 when, carrying top weight, he appeared beaten on the run-in but rallied bravely, as he would do on countless other occasions, to pip Panto Prince by a head.