Eddie Lynam’s Sole Power was a 100-1 winner of the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes 12 months ago and the trainer is hopeful of a repeat performance here.
The four-year-old is unlikely to be a similar price to last year as he landed the Temple Stakes at Haydock earlier in the season, and though he was well beaten in a Tipperary Listed race on his latest start, Lynam is not overly concerned.
He said: “We weren’t too disappointed with him in Tipperary. He probably ran up to a rating of 106 to 107 which is about 10lb off his best. He doesn’t really like it there as he has proved in the past. If you look back to his Newmarket run in the Palace House, that wasn’t a hectic run but a couple of weeks later he won the Temple Stakes.”
He added: “I’m very happy with him and it looks a very good race, but we’re looking forward to going.”
Kingsgate Native will bid to get a largely disappointing season back on track.
Chris Richardson, managing director of owners Cheveley Park Stud, said: “He’ll keep appearing in these races and you never know, like all these sprinters, they seem to have their day. He’s been disappointing this year but he might as well run and hopefully we can get some cover as that is what he needs.
“He was drawn one at Goodwood last time and with the extra stalls he ended up almost too wide, which was unfortunate.”
Hayley Turner secured her first Group One victory on Dream Ahead in the July Cup at Newmarket last month and is hoping to repeat the dose with Michael Bell’s filly Margot Did, a winner of two Listed races this term.
“It’s a big jump up in class for her – she’s a winner of two Listed races – but what I will say is that she is absolutely buzzing and in peak form at the moment, following a little break,” Turner said in her blog on www.racinguk.com.
“It’s a tough race, but she deserves a crack at this level and you often find that these sprinters are all of a similar standard and hopefully she can prove that this week.”
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