Although by no means contemporaries, Desert Orchid and Kauto Star were both, of course, legendary steeplechasers of the modern era. In fact, it was not until 13 years, almost to the day, after
Desert Orchid suffered a disappointing end to his illustrious career, when falling in the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day, 1991, that Kauto Star made a winning debut for Paul Nicholls in a novices’ chase at Newbury on December 29, 2004.
Thankfully, though, Timeform ratings – which were first published for National Hunt racing in the early sixties – are designed specifically to allow direct comparison between horses from different generations. According to Timeform, Kauto Star was rated 191 and Desert Orchid 187, making them the joint-fifth and sixth highest-rated steeplechasers of the Timeform era. In other words, Kauto Star was rated 4lb superior to his predecessor, which is the equivalent of approximately 4 lengths, based on the typical pounds-per-length scale used for Jumps handicapping over the range of distances at which they raced.
However, in terms of prolificacy, it was the flying grey who held sway. All told, Desert Orchid won 34, or 49%, of his 70 races over hurdles and fences and amassed £654,066. As testament to his versatility, his career highlights including victories in the Tingle Creek Chase, the King George VI Chase (four times), the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Irish Grand National over distances ranging from 2 miles to 3 miles and 5 furlongs.
By contrast, Kauto Star had a much shorter career, contesting just 41 races over hurdles and fences, but nonetheless won 23, or 56%, of them and amassed an eye-watering £3,775,883 in total prize money. Paul Nicholls’ charge was no less versatile than Desert Orchid, winning the Tingle Creek Chase (twice), the King George VI Chase (a record five times), the Betfair Chase (a record four times) and the Cheltenham Gold Cup (twice).