2012 second Sole Power backed to go one better in Al Quoz Sprint

The amount of money seen by Coral for Group 1 winning sprinter Sole Power suggests that there is a groundswell of conviction in his ability to reverse the form of the two and half length defeat to Shea Shea – currently 13/8 favourite Al Quoz favourite with Coral – he suffered earlier this month.

Shea Shea, who hails from the yard who trained JJ The Jet Plane to lift this prize in 2009 had a fitness advantage over Sole Power when the pair met on March the ninth, but even so the ease of his victory in the Meydan Sprint was beguiling comfortable.

Edward Lynam’s stable star had finished second in the same race last year before going on to earn a silver medal in the Al Quoz Sprint behind Ortensia.

The six-year-old last struck the Group 1 bull’s-eye when taking the Nunthorpe Stakes as a 100/1 shot back in August 2010 and despite eight runs at the top table of sprinting since that shock success he’s managed no better than three placed efforts.

Sole Power’s career is now 29 races deep and while the majority of the field are exposed to a similar degree he’ll face a trio of lightly-raced sorts in his last time out conqueror Shea Shea, Eagle Regiment and Mr Big all having competed no more than seven times under rules.

Shea Shea and Eagle Regiment has notched two Group 1’s apiece in South Africa and Hong Kong respectively, whilst Mr Big has a top level second place in Singapore in his scrapbook.

The Manfred Man-trained Eagle Regiment boasts perhaps the most impressive CV of the unexposed types with both his Group 1 wins coming over the 5f Al Quoz trip. Having lowered the colours of Joy And Fun – Al Quoz winner in 2010 and third in last year’s renewal – in just his second career race the six-year-old has already proven he has the credentials necessary to land this prize.