Sole Power hoping to get sixth furlong of Haydock Sprint
Cup
With all of Britain’s Global Sprint Challenge and Group 1 sprint races in
2014 won by the Power-Lynam duo of Slade Power and Sole Power, Saturday’s Group
1 Haydock Sprint Cup is next in line for the latter as he bids to back up his
recent success in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York.
Sabena Power’s seven-year-old was adding that five-furlong feature to his
prior success over that trip in Royal Ascot’s King’s Stand Stakes, and it
remains to be seen whether he can transfer that brilliance over six furlongs.
Surprisingly still without a win at the trip, the veteran has been sparely
campaigned at it with his last four tries resulting in contrasting results.
Only 12th in this in 2011, the bay was ninth in that year’s Hong Kong Sprint,
fifth in last year’s July Cup and second to Lord Kanaloa in the latest renewal
of the Hong Kong Sprint.
“It’s a shame Slade Power couldn’t make it, but the fastest horse in the
world isn’t a bad super-sub,” commented the owner’s son Paddy Power. “Some
pundits reckon he’s better over five furlongs, but he would have won the Hong
Kong Sprint over six if he hadn’t met a monster horse.”
Last year’s impressive winner Gordon Lord Byron finds different underfoot
conditions as he defends his title and bids to emulate the only dual winner Be
Friendly, who captured the first two runnings in 1966 and 1967. Slade Power’s
rider Wayne Lordan is on board due to the likely favorite’s absence and Joseph
O’Brien’s decision to ride Cougar Mountain. Trainer Tom Hogan believes he has
Gordon Lord Byron back to his best after a latest second in the Renaissance
Stakes at The Curragh August 23.
“He suffered a bit of a back injury at Royal Ascot which he had to be
medicated for, and he also had some issues with his feet, but they are all
sorted now,” Hogan said. “He is ready for a winter campaign in some far-flung
places and Saturday is his first task. He has loads of international invites,
but we will take a decision about where he goes after Saturday–he should just
be reaching his peak now at the age of six.”
Despite having raced only three times, Cougar Mountain has contested two
Group 1s, with a close-up fifth in the July Cup at Newmarket preceding a ninth
in the Nunthorpe. Joseph O’Brien said, “He came out of York quite well — he ran
very well there and was only beaten two lengths in one of the fastest and
biggest sprints in the world on his third ever start. He ran a blinder in the
July Cup before that and worked very nicely the other morning, so there’s no
doubt he has a chance. The track, the trip and the ground and all should suit.”
Henry Candy is no stranger to success in these type of contests and saddles
Hackwood Stakes scorer Music Master, while a newblood among the training ranks,
Olly Stevens, puts forward Extortionist. Another who has yet to score over six
furlongs, Sheikh Suhaim Al Thani’s three-year-old took the Sandown Sprint Stakes
before running second in Goodwood’s King George Stakes and third in the
Nunthorpe.
“We’d always wondered about going six with him, and Ryan (Moore) came back
after the Nunthorpe saying we definitely want to go six and now’s the time,”
Stevens commented. “He didn’t look out of place in that company last time. The
more the ground dries up the better.”
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