Sole Power

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Sole Power is a British-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who specialized in sprinting. A small bay gelding by Kyllachy out of Demerger, he was bred in England by G. Russell and later owned by the Power Irish racing family. Trained by Edward Lynam, Sole Power raced 65 times, winning 12 and earning about £2.09 million. He was famous for his powerful late bursts and his ability to race all over the world.

Key achievements
- Dual winner of both the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Nunthorpe Stakes at York.
- Won the Nunthorpe Stakes in 2010 at 100/1 (his first attempt at the race) and again in 2014.
- Won the King’s Stand Stakes in 2013 and 2014, becoming the first horse since 1934 to win consecutive runnings of the race.
- Won the Palace House Stakes in 2013 and 2014.
- Won the Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai in 2015.
- Named Cartier Champion Sprinter in 2014 and also honored as Irish Horse of the Year that year.

Background
Sole Power was a small, intelligent bay gelding who began his career in Ireland after being sold as a yearling for £32,000 to Edward Lynam. He came from a strong sprinting line, being by Kyllachy and out of Demerger. He carried the Power family’s racing ambitions across five countries and built a reputation as a fearless, late-charging sprinter.

Racing career – at a glance
- 2009 (two-year-old): Won a maiden at Dundalk and showed early promise before being gelded later in his development.
- 2010 (three-year-old): Won a Dundalk handicap in track-record time and surprised many by taking the Nunthorpe Stakes at York at long odds. Ground conditions later ruled out a trip to the Abbaye at Longchamp.
- 2011 (four-year-old): Won the Temple Stakes at Haydock and remained competitive in major sprints.
- 2012 (five-year-old): Won the Scarbrough Stakes at Doncaster and ran well in major races across Europe, including the Temple Stakes and the Al Quoz Sprint.
- 2013 (six-year-old): Won the Palace House Stakes at Newmarket and then the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot, giving jockey Johnny Murtagh one of his many big-stage successes.
- 2014 (seven-year-old): Had a superb year, winning the Palace House Stakes, the King’s Stand Stakes, and the Nunthorpe Stakes. He finished the season strongly and was named Cartier Champion Sprinter and Irish Horse of the Year.
- 2015 (eight-year-old): Won the Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai, adding another international Group 1 to his résumé.
- 2017: Retired from racing at the age of ten. Trainer Edward Lynam described Sole Power as a horse of a lifetime who took him to places he never imagined.

Legacy
Sole Power is remembered as one of the great international sprinters of his era. His combination of speed, heart, and a late burst made him a fan favorite, and his back-to-back King’s Stand victories, plus Nunthorpe wins, solidified his place in sprinting history.