Awarded a Timeform Annual Rating of 136, El Gran Senor may have fallen just short of the 140 required to be considered one of the greatest horses of the Timeform era, but was, nonetheless, rated the best of his generation at two and three years, in 1983 and 1984. His name, which translates from Spanish as ‘The Great Lord’, was taken from the nickname of Horatio Luro, the Argentine-born trainer of his sire, Northern Dancer.
In a racing career curtailed by injury, sustained after powering to victory over Rainbow Quest in the Irish Derby at the Curragh, El Gran Senor won seven of his eight races. Indeed, he went agonisingly close to winning all eight, narrowly missing out, by just a short head, to the rallying Secreto in the Derby at the Epsom.
Owned by Robert Sangster and trained by Vincent O’Brien at Ballydoyle, Co. Tipperary, El Gran Senor enjoyed a brilliant, unbeaten juvenile campaign with four wins, including the Group One Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. As a three-year-old, he reappeared in the Listed Gladness Stakes, over 7 furlongs, at the Curragh, in which he easily defeated stable companion Sadler’s Wells, en route to the 2,000 Guineas.
In a vintage renewal of the first Classic of the season, despite facing such luminaries as Chief Singer, Lear Fan and Rainbow Quest – all subsequent Group One winners – El Gran Senor was sent off 15/8 favourite. He justified his market position in style, winning with plenty in hand; so much, in fact, that despite slight reservations about his stamina over a mile-and-a-half, he was sent off at odds of 8/11 to maintain his unbeaten record in the Derby.
At Epsom, everything appeared to be going to plan when El Gran Senor cruised alongside the pacemaking At Talaq at the two-furlong marker, with jockey Pat Eddery looking around for dangers. He was challenged throughout the final furlong by Secreto, who had been ridden along on the outside of the field from Tattenham Corner and, having appeared to have taken the measure of his only possible danger, was caught in the shadow of the post and beaten by the narrowest margin possible.