Gordon must wait
Tom Hogan's nine-year-old suffered a slight "hiccup" when travelling over and looks likely to wait till next week to make his first start in this year's Dubai Carnival
GORDON LORD BYRON has been ruled out of Thursday’s Longines Dolce Vita (Handicap) at Meydan after meeting with a minor setback.
The triple Group One winner was set to make his first start at the track since March 2013 in the seven-furlong heat, but trainer Tom Hogan is now hoping to have him back in action next week.
Hogan said: “Gordon Lord Byron was due to run on Thursday night but had a little hiccup after travelling out here. He will probably wait until next Thursday now.”
Although the nine-year-old failed to feature in his final few starts in 2016, the Fattheen handler believes a return to a faster surface will see him in a much better light.
Hogan added: “Things didn’t go right in his last couple of runs. He got good ground at the Curragh and he ran really well (won Group Two Minstrel Stakes last July).
“He needs good fast ground now. He has not got the legs to pull it out on slow or dead ground. It is a great surface out here and he should love it.
“There are plenty of nice horses out here, but hopefully we can be competitive.”
