diff --git a/datafusion/core/benches/sql_planner.rs b/datafusion/core/benches/sql_planner.rs
index 44320e7a287a..a1b339eea355 100644
--- a/datafusion/core/benches/sql_planner.rs
+++ b/datafusion/core/benches/sql_planner.rs
@@ -24,10 +24,12 @@ mod data_utils;
 
 use crate::criterion::Criterion;
 use arrow::datatypes::{DataType, Field, Fields, Schema};
+use arrow_array::{ArrayRef, RecordBatch};
 use criterion::Bencher;
 use datafusion::datasource::MemTable;
 use datafusion::execution::context::SessionContext;
 use datafusion_common::ScalarValue;
+use datafusion_expr::col;
 use itertools::Itertools;
 use std::fs::File;
 use std::io::{BufRead, BufReader};
@@ -147,6 +149,77 @@ fn benchmark_with_param_values_many_columns(ctx: &SessionContext, b: &mut Benche
     });
 }
 
+/// Registers a table like this:
+/// c0,c1,c2...,c99
+/// 0,100...9900
+/// 0,200...19800
+/// 0,300...29700
+fn register_union_order_table(ctx: &SessionContext, num_columns: usize, num_rows: usize) {
+    // ("c0", [0, 0, ...])
+    // ("c1": [100, 200, ...])
+    // etc
+    let iter = (0..num_columns).map(|i| i as u64).map(|i| {
+        let array: ArrayRef = Arc::new(arrow::array::UInt64Array::from_iter_values(
+            (0..num_rows)
+                .map(|j| j as u64 * 100 + i)
+                .collect::<Vec<_>>(),
+        ));
+        (format!("c{}", i), array)
+    });
+    let batch = RecordBatch::try_from_iter(iter).unwrap();
+    let schema = batch.schema();
+    let partitions = vec![vec![batch]];
+
+    // tell DataFusion that the table is sorted by all columns
+    let sort_order = (0..num_columns)
+        .map(|i| col(format!("c{}", i)).sort(true, true))
+        .collect::<Vec<_>>();
+
+    // create the table
+    let table = MemTable::try_new(schema, partitions)
+        .unwrap()
+        .with_sort_order(vec![sort_order]);
+
+    ctx.register_table("t", Arc::new(table)).unwrap();
+}
+
+/// return a query like
+/// ```sql
+/// select c1, null as c2, ... null as cn from t ORDER BY c1
+///   UNION ALL
+/// select null as c1, c2, ... null as cn from t ORDER BY c2
+/// ...
+/// select null as c1, null as c2, ... cn from t ORDER BY cn
+///  ORDER BY c1, c2 ... CN
+/// ```
+fn union_orderby_query(n: usize) -> String {
+    let mut query = String::new();
+    for i in 0..n {
+        if i != 0 {
+            query.push_str("\n  UNION ALL \n");
+        }
+        let select_list = (0..n)
+            .map(|j| {
+                if i == j {
+                    format!("c{j}")
+                } else {
+                    format!("null as c{j}")
+                }
+            })
+            .collect::<Vec<_>>()
+            .join(", ");
+        query.push_str(&format!("(SELECT {} FROM t ORDER BY c{})", select_list, i));
+    }
+    query.push_str(&format!(
+        "\nORDER BY {}",
+        (0..n)
+            .map(|i| format!("c{}", i))
+            .collect::<Vec<_>>()
+            .join(", ")
+    ));
+    query
+}
+
 fn criterion_benchmark(c: &mut Criterion) {
     // verify that we can load the clickbench data prior to running the benchmark
     if !PathBuf::from(format!("{BENCHMARKS_PATH_1}{CLICKBENCH_DATA_PATH}")).exists()
@@ -289,6 +362,17 @@ fn criterion_benchmark(c: &mut Criterion) {
         });
     });
 
+    // -- Sorted Queries --
+    register_union_order_table(&ctx, 100, 1000);
+
+    // this query has many expressions in its sort order so stresses
+    // order equivalence validation
+    c.bench_function("physical_sorted_union_orderby", |b| {
+        // SELECT ... UNION ALL ...
+        let query = union_orderby_query(20);
+        b.iter(|| physical_plan(&ctx, &query))
+    });
+
     // --- TPC-H ---
 
     let tpch_ctx = register_defs(SessionContext::new(), tpch_schemas());