All Power to Pivotal

The Pivotal sireline notched another Group 1 when Sole Power scored a 100-1 upset in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York on Friday.  

Pivotal took the 1997 Nunthorpe by a head before carving out a reputation as a leading sire in Britain from his base at Cheveley Park Stud.  Crucial to Pivotal’s early success was Kyllachy who won the 2002 Nunthorpe.

Kyllachy has made a great start to his own stud career standing alongside his sire at Cheveley Park.  He has 10 stakes winners to date but his only previous strike at Group 1 level had been with Dim Sum in the 2009 Hong Kong Chairmans Prize.

Sole Power (3g Kyllachy – Demerger by Distant View) had two all-weather victories at Dundalk to his name before taking on a dozen sprint stars in the Nunthorpe.

Nevertheless, he defeated Coolmore colt Starspangledbanner (Choisir) and another long-shot Piccadilly Filly (Exceed And Excel) covering the 1000m in 57.14s.  “They go too slow for him in Ireland and we can’t get him to relax,” trainer Eddie Lynam said.  “That wasn’t going to happen in a Nunthorpe as they go mad.”

Sole Power was placed in the LR Grangecon Stud Stakes at the Curragh in July 2009 and the St Leger Yearling Stakes at York’s Ebor meeting 12 month’s ago.  

He resumed this year on Dundalk’s all-weather and clocked 57.46s to create a new 1000m track record on the Polytrack in April.  Going back to turf, he finished fourth to Equiano in the G3 Palace House Stakes at Newmarket in May but had been unplaced at the Curragh, Naas and Tipperary before crossing the Irish Sea again last week.

Sole Power is a younger half-brother to Cornus (Inchinor) who has won 15 races, the most recent at Pontefract on July 10.  Their dam Demerger is an unraced half-sister to five winners and comes from the same Juddmonte family of high-class two-year-old Auction House.

Demerger has a yearling filly by Dutch Art destined for Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.  She is consigned by Hillwood Stud who sold Sole Power for 32,000 pounds (AUD 68,663) to Lynam at the 2008 Doncaster St Leger Sale.

Sole Power is the second Group 1 winner produced out of a Distant View mare this season following Special Duty.  The Hennessy filly was promoted by stewards in both the French and English 1000 Guineas this year.

“Sole Power will have an entry for the Prix de l’Abbaye,” Lynam added.  “If the sun shines in Paris we’ll be there.  And we love York and hopefully we can run in this race for many years to come.”