“Life changing” is how trainer Tom Hogan described stable star Gordon Lord Byron, who died suddenly on Tuesday morning while being exercised. The 12-year-old is thought to have suffered a heart attack and died instantly.

Hogan said the gelding had been in fine form at home recently and was being prepared for the Gladness Stakes at the Curragh this weekend.

“He was in great order and did a great piece of work last Thursday up the Old Vic gallop,” reported the Nenagh, Co Tipperary trainer. “This morning he was being ridden out when he suddenly went down. I knew he had died before he hit the ground. I’d say it was a burst aorta.

“He was treated as part of the family here and he led a very pampered and happy life.

“He was a horse of dreams and life-changing for everyone involved with him. He brought us to places I never dreamed I’d see and did wonderful things. He was the first Irish horse to win the Prix de la Foret for more than 40 years, and it was similar when he won the Haydock Sprint Cup. He did things that had never been done before and is still the only European-trained horse to win a Group 1 sprint in Australia.”

Although he had not won a race for three years, Gordon Lord Byron continued to run well in defeat in recent seasons. Last year he was placed three times at Group 3 and Group 2 level, and was a close second in Dundalk in November.

“Retirement would not have suited him,” said Hogan. “He just about managed in the paddock on a sunny day but he hated the cold days. He has gone out doing what he loved.”

FAMILY OWNED

Owned by the father and daughter team of Morgan and Jessica Cahalan from Ballingarry, Co Tipperary, Gordon Lord Byron won 16 races from 108 lifetime starts. He won Group 1 races in England, France and Australia.

His racing record was all the more remarkable given his background. Bought as a foal by the Cahalans for €2,000, the son of Byron failed to find a buyer as a yearling and was put in training with Hogan. Things went from bad to worse when the horse suffered a serious pelvic injury on his racecourse debut. He returned to the track a year later and finished last.

Gordon Lord Byron got his head in front for the first time at Dundalk in October 2011, off a mark of 72. Improvement was rapid and within eight months he was competing in listed company. He announced himself as a rising star when winning the valuable City Of York Stakes at York in August 2012. Two weeks later he was an unlucky second to Society Rock in the Group 1 Haydock Sprint Cup.

Connections moved quickly to supplement the horse for the Prix de la Foret at Longchamp, a race he won impressively. From there, Gordon Lord Byron found himself on the ‘wanted’ list for all the top sprints around the world. Hong Kong, Dubai and Qatar were among the seven countries in which he raced.

He demolished the field in the 2013 Haydock Sprint Cup, where he was followed home by multiple Group 1 winner Slade Power. Shortly afterwards a plan was hatched to accept an invitation to run in the newly-established Sydney ‘autumn’ festival. This resulted in a third Group 1 success when Gordon Lord Byron won the George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill in Sydney in March 2014.

He registered another major success in October 2014 when bursting through a wall of horses to win the Group 2 Champions Sprint at Ascot.

The Curragh also proved a happy hunting ground for him, a track where he won five major races, including his final big race win, the Group 2 Greenlands Stakes in 2017.

Gordon Lord Byron is also the subject of a documentary film entitled Against The Odds, made by Nicholas Ryan-Purcell.

GORDON LORD BYRON BIG RACE WINS

2012 City of York Stakes at York (Listed)

2012 Prix de la Foret at Longchamp (Group 1)

2013 Desmond Stakes at Leopardstown (Group 3)

2013 Haydock Sprint Cup at Haydock (Group 1)

2014 George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill (Australia) (Group 1)

2014 Qipco British Champions Sprint at Ascot (Group 2)

2015 Dash Stakes at the Curragh (Listed)

2015 Minstrel Stakes at the Curragh (Group 3)

2016 Minstrel Stakes at the Curragh (Group 2)

2017 Greenlands Stakes at the Curragh (Group 2)

SUBSCRIBE TO THE IRISH FIELD & READ ALL OUR PREMIUM CONTENT