![Desert Orchid: 30 years after first King George triumph we pay tribute to the horse that captured a nation's heart](/img/di/desert-orchid-30-years-after-first-king-george-triumph-we-pay-tribute-to-the-horse-that-captured-a-nations-heart-1.jpg)
Desert Orchid: 30 years after first King George triumph we pay tribute to the horse that captured a nation's heart
Those big black eyes set on the white face, ears pricked, first planted themselves in the public imagination 30 midwinters ago, when Desert Orchid turned Boxing Day at Kempton Park into his own Christmas parade.
There was a huge roar as the front-running silver blade carrying Simon Sherwood cleared the final fence. Victory in the King George VI…