IN his prime he was a sight to behold. You knew he would be finishing fast – timing a late run with breathtaking speed as everything else in the field had emptied the tank and was finishing on fumes.

It was a style that flirted with disaster on every occasion.

Get him there too soon and he would idle, too late and even his formidable gears would not get him to the head of the field in time. It was a balancing act.

But it made Borderlescott a beautiful thing to watch.

He was the horse of a lifetime for Cowthorpe trainer Robin Bastiman, who made the decision this week, along with owners James Edgar and William Donaldson, to retire his stable star at the age of ten.

It must have been a difficult decision.

For in patches the old ability has still been on show this season. Not least when he rolled back the clock to win the Listed Beverley Bullet in September.

Sport, though, is littered with tales of fading champions and, after a below-par run in Dundalk last month, Bastiman believes his dual Nunthorpe Stakes winner – the champion at York in 2009 – is telling him enough is enough.

“We’ve decided to retire him,” he said. “We were a bit worried after his last run, he wasn’t quite right. He was probably telling us in a way and we roughed him off after that anyway.

“The owners have given the horse to my daughter Rebecca. He’ll be staying with us – he’s part of the yard.

“It’s a sad day but he’s done us proud. It’s time now. He’ll be 11 next year and there are all these young sprinters coming along.

“They lose their pace eventually and he’s had to run against the best all the time with his rating.”

What a career.

A total of 66 races, 14 victories, more than £775,000 in prize money. Those wins were at the highest level too.

A Stewards’ Cup and the Audi King George Stakes at Goodwood, along with the Coral Sprint Trophy at York.

The highlight, however, has to be the back-to-back Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes victories in 2008 and 2009.

The first of those came at Newmarket, with York’s Ebor Festival having been abandoned because of the kind of downpour that is becoming all too frequent nowadays.

That was a halcyon achievement for a small yard but even better was to come 12 months later.

Not since Sharpo, who recorded a three-timer between 1980 and 1982, had any horse retained Knavesmire’s sprint crown, but the seven-year-old put up one of the famous York displays that year to hold on to his title.

He went off a 9-1 shot, a massive price given his record and achievements, and jockey Neil Callan walked the tightrope perfectly – producing ‘Scotty’ late inside the final furlong to hold off the challenge of the Kevin Ryan-trained Banbaun and Radiohead.

Living only a few miles from the track, repeating the Nunthorpe trick on home ground is naturally Bastiman’s best memory of his brilliant horse’s career.

“The highlight was when he won the Nunthorpe at York,” added Bastiman.

“The first time he won it was at Newmarket as York was abandoned. With him being a Yorkshire horse, that was the day.

“There have been plenty of good days – when he won the Stewards’ Cup and he just got beaten a short head the following year.

“He’s simply been a great horse. With most Group Ones, they are won by colts and you never see them again. They end up being stallions and he’s a gelding.

“He’s out in the field now and is as happy as a sand boy.

“He’s being roughed off and is taking it well at the moment. He’s been a star. He’s got a good home and my daughter will look after him.”

Happy retirement Borderlescott.