Famous UK Race Horses

Just like famous athletes so are there famous race horses. These race horses have become famous due to certain achievements in their time that have not been paralleled or have been seen as a breakthrough for horses in their era. They are often known for their speed and stamina as well as for their consistent performance in the different horse races that they run in. Be it flat racing, national hunt or mixed, there are a few notable thoroughbreds that people are bound to remember through the years.

One such horse that seems to be pretty well known is Sergeant Cecil. Credited with being the first ever horse to win on three racetracks that others weren't able to win successively, Sergeant Cecil is a pretty popular horse that actually got a rather unglamorous start. The Northumberland Plate, the Cesarewitch and the Ebor races were conquered by this glorious horse that was named after the owner's father. Sergeant Cecil was actually an animal that wasn't considered "properly bred" and was in fact a rather cheaply bought animal that was not even trained in Newmarket but in Devon by a small but very talented horse trainer. Paired with jockey Alan Munro, Sergeant Cecil would have easily made his namesake extremely proud of his achievements. Aside from his record making feat, he added another feather to his cap with a Group 1 win which he bagged at 7 years old, an age where most horses like him often retire.

Another horse that is well known and loved in the UK is the horse known as Desert Orchid. This gallant grey was famous in the National Hunt races in the early 80's till the early 90's. Desert Orchid bears the distinction of being ranked fourth best out of all the horses in the National Hunt list of best horses of all time. Desert Orchid is well known for a string of wins in numerous races in the UK. He is well known, however, for one particular race that he ran in 1989. In Cheltenham, the Cheltenham Gold Cup presented quite a challenge to this horse who was just upgraded from being a 2 miler to a 3 miler for this race. Despite track conditions that were far from ideal for Desert Orchid, with snow and rain making the course heavy going, the race became one of the most talked about races of all time with Desert Orchid besting another horse that was known to be used to the kind of track conditions they had that day. "Dessie" wowed the crowd with the win and the race also went down in history as the best race ever by Racing Post readers.

There are still quite a huge number of famous race horses that have graced the United Kingdom's racetracks, like Best Mate, Dawn Run and Nijinsky II, each with their own stories to be told and achievements to be lauded. There are also a lot of up and coming horses that are set to make history as well and what they can do will soon be making their way into the history books and records as soon as they show their mettle on and off the tracks.

About the Author

Benjamin Street has created a blog just for horse racing systems and tips. Check it out at: Horseracing Systems