Garrison Savannah was a famous racehorse, who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup

Cheltenham Gold Cup

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in the United Kingdom which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles and 2½ furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped...

 in 1991 by a short-head from The Fellow

The Fellow

The Fellow was an AQPS top-class National Hunt racehorse in the early 1990s. He won the 1994 Cheltenham Gold Cup and narrowly lost the 1991 and 1992 renewals. He also won the 1991 and 1992 King George VI Chase and the 1991 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris. Along with Mandarin he is one of only two...

 with Desert Orchid

Desert Orchid

Desert Orchid , affectionately known as Dessie, was an English racehorse. The gallant grey achieved iconic status within National Hunt racing, where he was much loved by supporters for his front-running attacking style, iron will and extreme versatility. He was rated the fifth best National Hunt...

 back in third place. In the same year, he came second in the Aintree

Aintree Racecourse

Aintree Racecourse is a racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England.It was served by Aintree Racecourse railway station until the station closed in the 1960s....

 Grand National

Grand National

The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...

. He won the previous year's Royal & SunAlliance Chase. He had only one race between his two Cheltenham Festival

Cheltenham Festival

The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious meetings in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, and has race prize money second only to the Grand National...

 wins. In that race he came second to Celtic Shot in the Tommy Whittle Chase.

His Gold Cup win is rather unusual in that he beat two former champions in Desert Orchid

Desert Orchid

Desert Orchid , affectionately known as Dessie, was an English racehorse. The gallant grey achieved iconic status within National Hunt racing, where he was much loved by supporters for his front-running attacking style, iron will and extreme versatility. He was rated the fifth best National Hunt...

 (third) and Norton's Coin (fell) and two future champions in The Fellow

The Fellow

The Fellow was an AQPS top-class National Hunt racehorse in the early 1990s. He won the 1994 Cheltenham Gold Cup and narrowly lost the 1991 and 1992 renewals. He also won the 1991 and 1992 King George VI Chase and the 1991 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris. Along with Mandarin he is one of only two...

 (second) and Cool Ground

Cool Ground

Cool Ground is a former National Hunt racehorse. He won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1992, as well as the Kim Muir in 1989, the Mildmay Cazalet in 1990 and 1991, the Welsh National in 1990 and the Greenalls Gold Cup in 1991...

 (fourth). Also in the race were a former Champion Hurdle

Champion Hurdle

The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. As part of a sponsorship agreement with the online sportsbook StanJames.com, the race is now known as the Stan James Champion Hurdle...

 winner Celtic Shot (seventh) and a future Grand National

Grand National

The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...

 winner Party Politics

Party Politics (horse)

Party Politics was a Thoroughbred racehorse most famous for his victory in the 1992 Grand National at Aintree Racecourse, ridden by Carl Llewellyn, trained by Nick Gaselee and owned by Patricia Thompson...

 (pulled up).

He was trained by Jenny Pitman

Jenny Pitman

Jenny Pitman is a former British racehorse trainer and author. She became the first woman to train a Grand National winner, when Corbiere won the race in 1983. She went on to win a second Grand National with Royal Athlete in 1995...

, in Lambourn

Lambourn

Lambourn is a large village and civil parish in the northwestern part of the ceremonial county of Berkshire in England. Its metropolitan district has a population of 4,017, and is most noted for its associations with British National Hunt racehorse training....

, Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 and ridden by her son Mark.

His victory in the Gold Cup was accompanied by an upsurge in interest in acupuncture

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a type of alternative medicine that treats patients by insertion and manipulation of solid, generally thin needles in the body....

, as his trainer revealed that he had been treated with acupuncture for a stubborn lameness.