It's not unknown for a Group 1 sprint to end in a dead-heat and that would be the ideal July Cup result this Saturday for the Eddie Lynam team whose star sprinters, Slade Power and Sole Power, are on track to clash in the Newmarket highlight.
A total of 17 remain in the six furlong feature, including four from Ballydoyle headed by Due Diligence and Cougar Mountain. But the run-in to the race looks likely to be dominated by Lynam's Royal Ascot winners, both of whom carry the colours of Sabena Power.
Her son Paddy, of Paddy Power bookmakers, immediately made the Diamond Jubilee winner Slade Power an 11-4 favourite ahead of Due Diligence who chased him home at Ascot.
Slade Power has been purchased for stud duty by Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley operation and will stand at Kildangan Stud in Co Kildare from next year. He will continue to be trained by Lynam and race in the colours of Sabena Power until his racing career finishes.
“He’s the northern hemisphere’s best sprinter and with a physique to match,” said Darley’s managing director in Ireland, Joe Osborne, yesterday.
Sole Power's record indicates a preference for five furlongs but he will again be ridden by Richard Hughes and is a 7-1 shot to do better than last year when he finished fifth. The older horse will carry the owner's first colours.
“Eddie, and Mum and Dad, have always held Slade Power in the highest regard. Hopefully he’ll take a bit of beating again,” Power said yesterday. “Although a dead-heat with Sole Power would be an acceptable outcome!”
Inseparable
Dead-heats in top-flights are rare but not unknown and in 1997
Coastal
Bluff and Ya Malak couldn’t be separated at the end of the Nunthorpe at York. On home ground,
Jukebox Jury
and
Duncan
dead-heated for the 2011 Irish Leger at the Curragh while High Chaparral and Johar were famously inseparable at the end of the 2003
Breeders Cup
Turf.
Wayne Lordan
maintains his partnership with Slade Power.
The international flavour to this year’s July Cup is emphasised by the presence of the Spanish trained Noozhoh Canaries who led the 2,000 Guineas field for much of the race in May only to fade to sixth in the closing stages.
Tonight’s all-jumps action at Roscommon can open with a win for Voluptueux in a maiden hurdle which sees Ningbo Express boast a 117 rating.
Normally that would be good enough to win most maidens at this time of year but Gordon Elliott’s runner has had eight jumps starts and finished runner up in half of them, including behind Little King Robin at Down Royal a month ago.
Voluptueux isn’t as experienced but he did chase home Ballychorus over this course and distance last month and could step up from that.
Dancing Roe had been a frustrating type for the Christy Roche team, clearly talented but not showing it on the track, until he reappeared at Kilbeggan recently and ran away with a race by over 20 lengths. With him and Johnny Suku in this evening's novice hurdle there's unlikely to be a shortage of pace but Alan Crowe's mount may have just turned a corner.
Thats Nice put in an encouraging first racecourse start when belying a 50-1 SP to finish third at the track last month. Michael Hourigan’s runner should be a major player in the first bumper.
