Desert Orchid Star of the Show at National Stud
The National Stud's Open Day on Sunday was a great success, with 27-year-old superstar of the racing world, Desert Orchid pulling in the crowds from all over the country.
The Open Day was held in conjunction with 'Dessie's' Fan Club and a huge number of them turned up to see their equine hero. He certainly didn't let them down, receiving them in their hundreds throughout the morning from his 'dressing room' in the Stud's Old Heath Yard and then at lunchtime, when the audience had reached close to 1,500, he paraded for them in his usual charismatic fashion.
During the parade, one of Desert Orchid's winning rugs and a framed Marie Bushill photograph of the horse himself were auctioned. Bidding was brisk, with both prizes eventually raising £520 for the Wavertree Charitable Trust. The Trust is being established to help fund and develop the exceptional education and training opportunities at The National Stud and to increase the training programmes provided for the industry.
Other attractions throughout the day included a Shetland Pony Grand National, dog agility displays, jazz by the Desert 'Orchidstra', and a variety of demonstrations such as equine dentistry and farriery. Staff from the Stud's training department were on hand to provide information about the education programmes and all visitors had the opportunity to view the resident stallions, mares, foals and facilities.
Despite the gloomy weather forecast, the sun shone most of the day. Tina Dawson, the Stud's Commercial General Manager, said "It was a wonderful day and I'm delighted that so many people came along - not only to see Dessie, but also to find out more about the National Stud and what we do here. I hope we will see many of them on a return visit".
The National Stud will be open to the public during the Autumn Newmarket Race Meetings. Next year, twice daily guided tours will be available from 1st March to 30th September.
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