3 minute read
Versatile Irish galloper Gordon Lord Byron has obviously relished his time Down Under with a determined victory in the George Ryder Stakes.
The Tom Hogan-trained gelding arrived in Sydney a week prior to the George Ryder Stakes after a stint at Werribee quarantine centre.
Gordon Lord Byron snuck under the radar so to speak in a George Ryder Stakes contest which featured a strong contingent of well performed gallopers headlined by those from the Chris Waller stable.
Having won three of the past four George Ryder Stakes renewals, Chris Waller appeared hard to hold out once again with a team consisting of Boban, Red Tracer, Sacred Falls and My Kingdom Of Fife.
Confidence levels would have been high amongst the Waller camp with Red Tracer and Sacred Falls each possessing excellent wet track form and Boban the class galloper of the event.
With all the focus on Team Waller, it meant Gordon Lord Byron’s Australian debut was a low key one but only until the final stages of the George Ryder Stakes (1500m).
From an inside barrier, jockey Craig Williams was able to settle midfield one off the fence.
As the field fanned wide around the home turn, Williams stayed closer to the rail and darted back to the inside on the gelding from the 300m as the pair searched for a run.
They found one approaching the final furlong and while arguably on the worst part of the track edged past Speediness late for a slender George Ryder Stakes victory. 
Gordon Lord Byron and Speediness had settled close to each other in transit and ran the quinella after each saving ground around the home turn.
El Roca had set the tempo and was brave in defeat, fighting on well for third.
Sacred Falls put in an encouraging trial for the Doncaster Mile as did Toydini with the pair finishing fourth and fifth respectively.
Favourite Red Tracer was the disappointment of the race, settling midfield and failing to run on.
Possessing a master Timeform figure of 126 and strong wet track credentials, Gordon Lord Byron winning the George Ryder Stakes from a rating’s perspective was no surprise.
The market suggests otherwise though with followers rewarded with a 20-1 payout.
Gordon Lord Byron’s George Ryder Stakes success was his third at the highest level and is now a Group 1 winner in three different countries.
The Byron gelding opened his Group 1 account with a success in the 2012 Prix De La Foret (1400m) at Longchamp before a career best victory in the Betfred Sprint Cup (1207m) at Haydock Park last September.
Gordon Lord Byron’s George Ryder success returned a Timeform figure of 124, two pounds shy of his decisive Betfred Sprint victory. 
From a historical perspective of the event, his performance sits right on the prior five-year winning average.
It was also the first time a northern hemisphere-trained galloper has ever won a Group 1 event in Sydney.
Such a moment is an encouraging one for Racing NSW who only announced the launch of The Championships late last year.
His class was there for all to see though in last Saturday’s George Ryder (1500m) and certainly can make his presence felt once again on Australian shores at the pointy end of a Group 1 feature whether it be the TJ Smith Stakes or Doncaster Mile.
