Game Sole Power Finds Gap Late in Nunthorpe
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Finding traffic throughout, Sole Power gamely drove between rivals late and won the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes (Eng-I) for a second time Aug. 22 at York.
The 7-year-old Kyllachy gelding has become one of Europe's top sprinters since capturing the race for the first time in 2010 at 100-to-1 odds. The 11-4 favorite this year, he was short of room at nearly every point but had the heart and speed in the closing stages for Richard Hughes to take the five-furlong race by a half-length from familiar opponent and front-runner Stepper Point.
Sole Power was timed in :57.92 on good turf while earning his fourth win at the group I level. He tallied his 10th victory overall from 42 career starts that also includes the June 17 King's Stand Stakes (Eng-I), in which he conquered Stepper Point by 1 1/2 lengths. Sole Power also won the 2013 King's Stand from international sprint star Shea Shea, who was a contender at midfield in the Nunthorpe but weakened over a furlong out to finish 12th of 13 runners.
At 20-1 odds in the Nunthorpe, Stepper Point finished a short head to the good of 14-1 Extortionist, the third-place finisher.
Sole Power was steadied at the start and raced at the back of the field early as Take Cover led. Astaire seized control at the halfway mark before Stepper Point, who was always near the front, took charge in the final furlong.
In search of clear running room, Hughes shifted Sole Power right nearing the final furlong then moved left with a sixteenth to run, where Sole Power confronted a wall of horses. With ground running out, Hughes saw a narrow gap and speared a game Sole Power through to secure the win.
"He's brilliant, he's made for me," Hughes said of thrilling finish. "When I was 14 or 15, I dreamed about riding horses like this, and doing it like that."
Trainer Eddie Lynam was worried about his Sole Power's fitness in the days leading up to the race as his runner lost some training time due to a skin infection, but the gelding proved up to the Nunthorpe test.
"Two weeks ago, he had American ringworm. We had to get him right for it and we had only 10 days to train him," Lynam said. "He's now won this race twice, he's won the King's Stand twice, and he's a very talented performer.
"If the going is good, we could go for the Prix de l'Abbaye (Fr-I, Oct. 5 at Longchamp), although I wouldn't want him to have too hard a race when there is the Hong Kong (Sprint, HK-I in December) still to think about too."
Sole Power eaned an automatic starting berth in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IT) later this year at Santa Anita Park as the Nunthorpe is part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win & You're In" series.
"He's a super horse, a horse of a lifetime; it's just the way he does it," Lynam said. Campaigned by Sabena Power, Sole Power was bred in Great Britain by Geoff Russell. He is out of the Distant View mare Demerger.