Gordon Lord 6th in TJ Smith Gordon Lord Byron was clinically put in his place by Lankan Rupee in the Darley TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick racecourse. The Tom Hogan-trained six-year-old was a Group One winner on his first start in Australia last month but could finish only sixth in this six-furlong affair at the inaugural running of 'The Championships' at the Sydney circuit. Gordon Lord Byron was settled in midfield early on, but jockey Craig Williams was hard at work as they straightened for home. Hogan's three-times Group One scorer made up a little late ground in awful conditions, but he fell some way short of the astounding Lankan Rupee. The Mick Price-trained five-year-old was quickly into his stride under Craig Newitt and continued to pull further clear to extend his winning run to five races. Hogan felt conditions at Randwick contributed to Gordon Lord Byron's downfall. He is now set to step back up in trip for the Champions Mile at Sha Tin in Hong Kong. The County Tipperary handler said: "He missed the break and couldn't get traction on that ground - it was very slippy and sloppy on top. He's thankfully none the worse and will now go to Hong Kong, where we hope for better ground. He'll leave (Australia) on April 22 and we'll then get him ready for the Champions Mile on May 4. "We want to win every day, but he's a wonderful horse and even gets us prize-money when things go wrong." Newitt said: "I truly believe he can go anywhere in the world and dominate. He was getting a bit leg-weary late on but he had them all covered. He's gone to a whole new level." Price said: "I was a bit concerned about the wet track but I left it to the jockey. The horse has come of age."
