QEII could be next up for Gordon Lord Byron A tilt at the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot could be next on the agenda for Gordon Lord Byron following his creditable run in defeat at Longchamp on Sunday. Following a brilliant display in the Sprint Cup at Haydock, Tom Hogan's five-year-old returned to Paris to defend his crown in the Prix de la Foret. Having cut out much of the running, Gordon Lord Byron saw off most of his rivals after committing for home, but he was unable to resist the late charge of Freddie Head's incredible mare Moonlight Cloud. While not wanting to take anything away from the exceptional winner, Hogan believes his own stable star did not run up to his maximum level. He said: "He's come out of the race well and ran a great race, but I think he maybe ran a few lengths below his best. "The ground wasn't ideal for him. It was dead ground and he has never performed up to his best when it's like that. He likes looser soft ground. "He also ran too free early in the race and it was a bit of a messy pace as it quickens and slows, like a lot of races in France. "Any day like that when everything goes wrong and you are taking on a superstar, you have to be happy to finish second and pick up a good bit of prize-money. "In every Group One he's run in on grass he's never finished out of the first four, which is a great record and as he's a gelding I don't have to worry about him getting beaten." Gordon Lord Byron is now set to step up to a mile on Champions Day, October 19th, before a likely trip to the Far East. "We'll see how he is later in the week but if everything is well, he could go for the QEII," said Hogan. "I wouldn't want to run him over a mile at Ascot if it's dead ground or very slow, but if the ground is right he could go there. "We've five or six weeks then to freshen him up for Hong Kong. That's where he'll end his year and then we can look forward to next season with him. "He's versatile from six furlongs to a mile, he's got game owners and there'll be plenty of opportunities for him. "He won't win all the time, but he'll have his days, hopefully."
