Power’ to Attempt to Go One Better in Sprint

Earlier this week, Sabena Power’s Sole Power (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}) was named the Horse of the Year in Ireland. This coming Sunday, the 7-year-old will look to improve off a runner-up effort in last year’s G1 Hong Kong Sprint. 

Dispatched at odds of 76-1 last December in spite of a campaign that included a victory in the G1 King’s Stand S. at Royal Ascot and a close third in the G1 Nunthorpe S., the popular gelding settled well back in the field on International day, and while he was never getting to the imperious Lord Kanaloa, he raced by everything else to pick up a hefty paycheck. 

It has been another very productive season for Sole Power, who won the G3 Palace House S. at Newmarket May 3, then successfully defended his King’s Stand title. He then followed up with a half-length score in the Nunthorpe at York Aug. 22, but was fourth in the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup Sept. 6 and eighth in the G1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp in his most recent appearance. Though Sole Power has made just eight of his 44 career starts at Sunday’s 1200-meter distance, trainer Eddie Lynam thinks his charge can be equally effective. 

“He’s been more of a 110-rated horse over 1200 meters, but more like 117 or 118 over 1000 meters,” Lynam admitted. “However if he runs like he did in this race last year, he’s got a decent chance, if we get luck in running. There is no exceptional horse this year, and the sprint trial here asked as many questions as it answered. I’d be most frightened of the Australian horse Buffering (Aus) (Mossman {Aus})–if he could get an uncontested lead he might be hard to catch.” 

That said, don’t expect connections to take Sole Power out of his element or make any drastic changes in his running style. 

“This horse never shirks a battle and his style of racing–sitting way off the pace–is untypical of a sprinter,” Lynam states. “He is electric and a real ‘box office’ horse.” 

The now-retired Johnny Murtagh was in the saddle for last year’s Sprint, but champion Richard Hughes, who rode Sole Power to his dual Group 1 successes this season, has the call this weekend. 

“Richard says that he and Sole Power were made for each other,” Lynam said with a smile.