Royal Ascot Sprinters: Horses to have emerged from handicaps

Borderlescott

Popular veteran Borderlescott – still going at the ripe old age of 13 – is no longer up to running at the highest level, but he did manage to win the Nunthorpe Stakes on two occasions when he was in his prime. Borderlescott wasn’t an obvious candidate for top-level honours when beaten off a mark of 70 at Nottingham on his first start as a three-year-old, but he progressed rapidly throughout the season, registering four handicap wins, including the valuable Sprint Trophy at York on his final start of the campaign. He picked up where he left off by winning at York on his return as a four-year-old, and gained reward for relentless progress when landing the prestigious Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood.

Borderlescott found the transition from handicaps to pattern company beyond him the following season, running creditably on a number of occasions without winning, but he produced the best performance of his career to gain a breakthrough Group 1 victory in the Nunthorpe Stakes as a six-year-old, displaying the tough attitude that had endeared him to so many. He would retain his Nunthorpe crown the following year, once again impressing with his determination, adding more admirers to the ever-expanding fan club.

Deacon Blues

Deacon Blues may be a slightly controversial inclusion as he didn’t win a Group 1, but there’s little doubt he was well up to that level. In fact, had injury not put a premature end to his career it’s likely that Deacon Blues would have established himself as one of the best sprinters of recent times.

Deacon Blues was successful just once as a three-year-old, but he really flourished the following season, showing top-class form as he built on an encouraging second at Ascot to rattle up five wins on the bounce, starting with the Wokingham and finishing with the Group 2 Champion Sprint Stakes on the newly-formed Champions Day card.

The powerful manner in which Deacon Blues travelled before settling the issue with a sharp turn of foot really marked him down as a potential superstar, and it’s such a shame that he didn’t get the chance to prove it against the very best.

Gordon Lord Byron

A Group 1 winner in Australia, England and France, Gordon Lord Byron is something of a globe-trotting star nowadays, but he made a rather inauspicious start on the racecourse, pulling-up on his only start as a two-year-old having lost his action. It took a few starts for connections to realise that Gordon Lord Byron was a sprinter rather than a miler, but he progressed well once running over a suitable distance, winning a maiden at Dundalk and then a handicap at the same venue.

It was the following season, however, that the four-year-old Gordon Lord Byron really took a step forward. Gordon Lord Byron would race 13 times, winning on four occasions, notably landing the Group 1 Prix de la Foret at Longchamp on Arc day. Gordon Lord Byron’s Timeform rating had soared by more than 20 lb during the successful 2012 campaign, and he confirmed he was well worth his lofty rating when taking the Haydock Sprint Cup the following season. A versatile, durable, tough sort, Gordon Lord Byron has been a credit to connections, while his success in Australia last year ranks as a tremendous and rarely-accomplished feat.