Favourite Sole Power, blocked behind a wall of horses, burst through a gap yards from the finish to land the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes in spectacular style at York on Friday.
The winner of this five furlong dash at 100-1 four years ago, the Irish-trained speedster was a well backed 11-4 this time around.
But over a furlong out his legion of supporters were grimacing as jockey Richard Hughes found his passage to the post totally blocked.
Hughes, a master at waiting tactics, bided his time and when daylight eventually appeared he lunged Sole Power through to snatch the spoils in the most dramatic fashion.
"He was brilliant," Hughes told Channel 4.
"It`s a dream to ride horses like that and to do it like that."
Eddie lynam, the trainer, said: "He`s a special horse isn`t he, he`s super, the horse of a lifetime in my opinion.
"Four years ago he was 100-1 then, it all started for him then...We haven`t run him in Ireland for a few years so we`ll go there next, then the Prix de l`Abbaye at Longchamp."
Sole Power beat Stepper Point (20-1) in a repeat one-two of the King`s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.
AFP
First Published: Friday, August 22, 2014, 20:46
