Gordon Lord Byron© Photo Healy Racing
Tom Hogan has high hopes Gordon Lord Byron can do himself justice when he gets his season started at Cork on Monday.
The eight-year-old gelding returns from his winter off to contest the Listed Cork Stakes over six furlongs, with Shane Foley taking the ride for the first time since August 2012.
"He did very well with his break and is in great form. He is working very well and we are very pleased with him. He wouldn't mind a bit of match practice," said Hogan.
"He has gone on this ground before, but it is a very competitive race with Bobby's Kitten and Great Minds, who is a soft-ground specialist, in there. It is a top-class race for this time of year.
"We are hoping for a good run. Shane rides work on him in the Curragh and knows him well. He is a world-class jockey."
When asked if his sprinter would travel the globe as extensively this year, Hogan said: "For the early part he will stay closer to home and then, if the horse tells us, he'll travel."
Bobby's Kitten is potentially a very exciting recruit to Irish racing.
He has his first run for Dermot Weld after winning the Grade One Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in 2014 and finishing fourth in last year's renewal for American trainer Chad Brown.
Elsewhere, there are three hunter chases on the card. Former Cheltenham Foxhunter winner Salsify will be a very warm order to oblige in the Jack Tyner Memorial Hunters Chase.
The Pegus Horse Feed Point-To-Point Flat Race should be an informative contest. Plenty of unexposed types step up after having impressed between the flags.
Nicole's Milan might represent a bit of value for last year's winning trainer Sean Aherne.
