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Dessie as he was affectionately known was a front running grey that regularly galloped his rivals into submission. His flamboyant jumping style further enhanced his love affair with the racing public. Dessie's record as a hurdler left a lot to be desired, but once his trainer, David Elsworth switched him over the larger obstacles his career was to take off. The race that he became synonymous with was the King George VI Chase, run in Boxing Day at Kempton Park. During the late 1980's he very much made this race his own, winning it four times and also coming runner up.
To cap a fine career though Dessie really needed to win a major race. This he did by capturing the 1989 Cheltenham Gold Cup after a titanic battle with Yahoo. Conditions were very soft and not to Dessie's liking. Add to that the fact that he was very much at home on right handed tracks and it shows what a great victory it was. It all so has to be said that the stewards turned a blind eye to Dessie's interference with Yahoo that may have caused a lesser horse to concede the race, such was his popularity. Dessie will go down in history as one on the most popular and well known horses to have ever raced.
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