All The Power Too Them

There was a time when Ireland was a bit-player at best in the major sprints, but three of the bunch to have turned that around in recent years in Sole Power (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}), Gordon Lord Byron (Ire) (Byron {GB}) and Maarek (GB)(Pivotal {GB}) line up proud and tall to grace the newly promoted G2 Weatherbys Ireland Greenlands S. at The Curragh on Saturday. Despite the gravity of Sole Power’s recent achievements, the fact remains that this six-furlong trip is further than ideal for him and all five of his top-level wins have come over five. Nevertheless, the 8-year-old has been kept away from Haydock’s G2 Temple S., which he won in 2011, in favor of this prize, whose fortunes mirror the rise in prominence of the Irish speed brigade. “One of the main reasons we decided to stay at home was that Richard Hughes was available and everyone knows how well he gets on with him,” Paddy Power, son of owners Sabena and David Power, told PA Sport. “It will be nice for him to finally run at home–it’s been a long time. It remains to be seen if he actually knows he’s going for a race without having to get on a boat or a plane, though. It’s six furlongs and while I’m the most optimistic man alive, I have always said there is nothing to stop him winning over six–I’m sure he stays, the races have just never been run to suit him.” 

With three Group 1 wins to his name, Gordon Lord Byron is worthy of respect despite being seven, and he was ahead of Sole Power when fourth in Sha Tin’s G1 Hong Kong Sprint on his penultimate start in December. Trainer Tom Hogan told PA Sport, “We did have him entered to run over a mile a couple of weeks ago, but the ground was testing and that would just test his stamina. While he’s still able to mix it with the best sprinters, there’s no real need to stretch him. His run in Hong Kong in December was very good, he was just over a length behind Aerovelocity, and that form keeps getting franked.” 

Maarek needs to regain old glories if he is to compete here, but the 2013 G1 Prix de l’Abbaye hero shaped with promise when fourth in the May 10 G3 Prix de Saint-Georges over Longchamp’s five-furlong strip, while Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s G3 Jersey S. winner Mustajeeb (GB) (Nayef) adds further weight to the contest stepping down in trip after finishing sixth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile.