The big sprinter won the Memsie four times and almost rolled the great legend, Tulloch

Racehorse Lord was foaled in 1954 and was by Targui out of the mare Broadway (by Actor). He was a large dark bay gelding, but his massive size did perhaps give him a slightly plain appearance, although he was nicely balanced and well put together and he had exceptional presence and character. His grandsire Djebel (1937–1958) was French Thoroughbred racehorse, who won 15 of 22 races during 1939–1942 including the Prix d'Essai, 2000 Guineas and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He was later a leading sire in France and is responsible for the survival of the Byerley Turk sire line into the 21st century.

Lord was trained by Ken Hilton. He was always turned out beautifully by his great trainer; a big man who walked around with a quiet dignity, in contrast to his neighbour and equally great trainer Basil Conaghan, who always looked as if he had just emerged from some kind of barroom brawl, or was about to enter into one. Lord’s owner, the industrialist W.R. Kemball, was also a big man and he always sat alone in the grandstand.

Fittingly, the first of those came over the Christmas period, on December 29, 1956, when he was an emphatic two-length debut winner as a two-year-old. It was a sign of things to come with Lord dominating feature events between six and 10 furlongs (1200m-2000m) at Caulfield over the next five years.

Invariably, Lord jumped first out in his races. Quite often he would run his first four furlongs (805m) in 49 and be allowed to be six lengths in front, thus being gifted the race. He had a huge stride and one of those beautiful, easy actions, looking as if he was only going half pace. But he was one paced and could never quicken under pressure. Tremendously strong and courageous, he just kept on going and ran them into the ground. His first Caulfield feature came in the six-furlong Trenton Stakes in 1957, but it was the following year that he took his dominance to new levels. In addition to the J.J. Liston Stakes (seven furlongs, now P.B. Lawrence Stakes), Lord also won the Memsie Stakes (nine furlongs), Underwood Stakes (10 furlongs) and Caulfield Stakes (nine furlongs).

He became an even stronger force in 1959, again claiming the Memsie Stakes and Caulfield Stakes, while also snaring the C.F. Orr Stakes (seven furlongs), St George Stakes (nine furlongs) and Futurity Stakes (seven furlongs).

Lord equalled the feats of superstars Eurythmic and Ajax when he notched a third-straight Memsie Stakes win in 1960 and a few weeks later he also completed a Caulfield Stakes hat-trick. He and another Caulfield Caulfield weight-for-age specialist, Winfreux (1965-67), remain the only three-time winners of the Caulfield Stakes. He also won the Orr and St George Stakes again in 1960 and reclaimed his Underwood Stakes crown before winning a fourth consecutive Memsie Stakes in 1961. But for all his domination at Caulfield, Lord is arguably better known for a performance in defeat at Flemington.

The 1960 Queen's Plate (10 furlongs), run in March, was one of the most anticipated races in the history of Australian racing, signalling the return of the legendary Tulloch, who hadn't been to the races for two years after suffering an almost fatal illness. Lord came within a bob of the head of spoiling Tulloch's fairytale comeback, going down to the champ by a short head after engaging in a stirring duel with the subsequent inaugural Hall of Famer for much of the Flemington straight. Lord did return to win the Queen's Plate in both 1961 and 1962, while he also won a Craiglee Stakes (1961) and a couple of Queen Elizabeth Stakes (1961-62) at Flemington. And while he only won one race outside Melbourne, it was a handy one; the 1959 All Aged Stakes at the Sydney autumn carnival. Despite having proven himself over 2400m in those Queen's Plates at Flemington, Lord remarkably never contested a Caulfield Cup, nor was he ever tested in a Cox Plate due to his dislike of the tight Moonee Valley circuit.

All but one of his 28 successes were in Melbourne, 21 of them at his home track of Caulfield. This earned the large gelding the nickname, "King of Caulfield". Among his major wins were the VATC Caulfield Stakes (three times), VATC Memsie Stakes (four times) and the AJC All Aged Stakes.

Lord raced until he was a nine-year-old, often competing against quality opposition such as Tulloch, Todman, Sky High and Aquanita. He was ridden in many of his wins by top apprentice (later leading jockey) Geoff Lane, who knew the big gelding's habits and ability. He never ran in a Cox Plate, since he was unable to handle the smaller Moonee Valley track due to his long-striding action. Following his retirement from racing, Lord was a noted show-jumper. He died in 1986 at the advanced age of 32. The Lord Stakes is named after possibly the greatest performer in the history of one of Victoria's premier racetracks.

RACE RECORD 80: 28-13-11

EARNINGS - £59,364

JJ Liston Stakes (1958)

Memsie Stakes (1958, 1959, 1960, 1961)

Underwood Stakes (1958)

Caulfield Stakes (1958, 1959, 1960)

C F Orr Stakes (1959, 1960)

St George Stakes (1959, 1960)

Futurity Stakes (1959)

All Aged Stakes (1959)

Underwood Stakes (1960)

VRC Queens Plate (1961, 1962)

Craiglee Stakes (1961)