Series sprint star Sole Power has run final race

Sole Power won his connections more than £2 million with his exploits in top sprint races. Picture: Racingfotos.com

Sole Power, a standing dish in QIPCO British Champions Series, has been retired.

The ten-year-old won four races in the Series and was placed in another three but, in recent times, has struggled to match strides with younger rivals.

He has run three times at this year’s Dubai Carnival, most recently finishing sixth in the Meydan Sprint two weeks ago, but Edward Lynam, his trainer, has decided the time is right to bring his stable flagbearer’s wonderful career to an end.

“We’ve decided to call it a day with him,” Lynam said. “He was a great horse, but time waits for no man and he’s been retired.

“Now we’ve announced the news it is only now it really hits home.”

Sole Power announced himself on the big stage with a shock 100-1 success in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York in 2010.

He went on land consecutive renewals of the King’s Stand at Royal Ascot in 2013-14 before regaining his Nunthorpe crown three years ago.

Sole Power’s fifth and final Group One success came in the Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan in 2015.

In all, he won 12 of his 65 starts and was placed on a further 14 occasions. He earned his connections more than £2million in prize money.

“He’s been a wonderful horse and he’s going out on his own term as he’s totally sound,” Lynam said.

“His form up to 2015 had been at a very high level, but his form has dipped in recent years as, like all of us, he’s got slower as he’s got older.

“I’ve never trained a more genuine, happier and sounder horse than Sole Power.

“I’ve been training since I was 21 and I’m 55 now. I was a nobody until he came around and he’s taken me to places I never felt were possible to go to.

“His CV was always strong, but, on top of that, he was a really popular horse.”

Sole Power will spend his retirement years at Horse Park Stud in Ashford, County Wicklow.

Lynam said: “He’ll have a few months at home to chill and then he’ll head over to Horse Park Stud, where a lot of our retired horses go.

“Putting him on the horsebox that one last time, that will be the saddest day.”