Gordon Lord Byron bids for historic repeat in Haydock Sprint Cup

Gordon Lord Byron won’t have to face Slade Power (left in striped sleeves) again, but the latter’s stablemate Sole Power is a high-class deputy (Courtesy of GBI Racing)

Gordon Lord Byron, who hacked up in the Group 1 Sprint Cup
at Haydock Park last year, will bid to create history in the same race on Saturday.
Trained by Tom Hogan and to be ridden by Wayne Lordan, the speedball is seeking
to become only the second horse to claim back-to-back victories in the race, as
the Sir Peter O’Sullevan-owned Be Friendly did when the race was created in
1966-67.

“Gordon Lord Byron is in great form,” Hogan said. “He needed the run (when beaten
by a nose at the Curragh two weeks ago) and it has really brought him on. He has done very well since and would be somewhere around the same condition as
he was before he won this race last year. His work rider even thinks that he has
got better.

“He is ready for a winter campaign in some far-flung places and Saturday is his
first task. He has loads of international invites but we will take a decision
about where he goes after Saturday — he should just be reaching his peak now at
the age of six.

“In terms of the ground, the only thing he can’t manage is heavy. He floats on
fast ground and he ran one of the best races of his life on firm when he was
second in this race two years ago in an extremely fast time despite being drawn
on the wrong side where there was no pace. He has also twice run well in Hong Kong on very fast ground, which he loved, so
firm ground is not an issue.