Evergreen 12-year-old Gordon Lord Byron showing no signs of stopping this season

You'd be forgiven for thinking Gordon Lord Byron would be calling for the pipe and slippers of retirement as his remarkable career enters its tenth season, but trainer Tom Hogan insists his evergreen 12-year-old is raring to go for the 2020 Flat campaign – whenever it resumes.

The ever-popular performer, winner of 16 of his 108 starts, including a hat-trick of Group 1 victories in three different countries, still holds a pretty impressive rating of 105 these days and held his form well across his 14 outings last term.

"He was ready to run for the start of the season but obviously we're in an uncertain period at the moment," said Hogan. "He's in right old form and has done a few nice bits of work."

The Tipperary-based trainer added: "Retirement won't suit him, but that's going to be his problem some day!

"He doesn't do the paddock, every day we keep him exercised and active, which is what he loves."

The Morgan Cahalan-owned stalwart may not be operating at the same outstanding level that saw him take connections on a journey of a lifetime earlier in his career, but Hogan is confident his stable star can still hold his own at a very decent standard.

Tom Hogan: 'He doesn't do the paddock, every day we keep him exercised and active, which is what he loves'Credit: Patrick McCann

He explained: "I'd be confident he can still run up to his mark when conditions are right and he gets the gallop he wants to run at.

"Ideally, we'd like reasonably fast ground for him – good-to-firm. As long as he wants to do it we'll see how things go. We'll just wait and see how everything unfolds in terms of a comeback run for him."

The man who prepared Silver Jaro to land the 2008 Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle added of the current Covid-19 crisis: "We're coping fine at home, thankfully. Any National Hunt horses I have are generally now out for a break and the Flat two-year-olds have been given a break as well.

"It's obviously disappointing for everyone but there are more important things in life than racing and we just hope that all our friends and family are around and healthy by the time racing comes back."

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