Sole Power: successful in two Group 1s in Britain this year

PICTURE: Martin Lynch (racingpost.com/photos)

SOLE Power was crowned Horse of the Year at Monday’s HRI Awards at the Pavillion in Leopardstown, completing a memorable day for his trainer Eddie Lynam, who also picked up the Flat award.

Between Sole Power and Slade Power, Lynam won four of the five Group 1 sprints in Britain in 2014 and he admitted that the newly crowned Horse of the Year is probably the more box office of his sprint duo. 

“Sole Power is a hell of a horse and makes people like me look good,” Lynam said. “He is probably the more exciting of the two. He’s electric, more box office. 

“You end every year thinking that it is going to be the end of Sole Power and that he can’t do it again but this was obviously his best year so we’ll keep going. A lot of the credit has to go to David and Sabena [Power] as they have backed me all along with him. Whether he was 100-1 or even-money, they were happy to run whatever I wanted to go.”

The National Hunt award went the way of Willie Mullins for the fifth time. Between his 185 winners in Ireland last season, his four victories at the Cheltenham Festival which included sending out Quevega to win the OLBG Mares Hurdles for the sixth year in a row and his six Grade 1 winners at the Punchestown festival, there were very few raised eyebrows when his named was announced by MC Ivan Yeats. 

“Going to Cheltenham I wanted two things, for Quevega and Hurricane Fly to win. I got one of those. Then for Hurricane Fly to come back and break the record for Grade 1s was special. They were my two highlights on the track. 

“But I’m standing here today because of the commitment of my staff at home. I remember one Monday morning last year, going up to the gallop for first lot. It was the worst weather I can ever remember, it was truly horrible, yet there was not one person missing and I thought to myself ‘yes, we have super horses, we have super owners, but I’m so lucky to have super staff’.

The performances of the globe-trotting superstar Gordon Lord Byron were acknowledged with Tom Hogan picking up the Outstanding Achievement award and he told the crowd about how the six-year-old gelding, who has now won over €1.8 million in prize-money, was picked up for pittance at the Goffs sales in 2008. 

“My secretary Jessica Cahalan went off to the sales with just €1,600 in cash and she managed to pick him up for two-grand. She had to put the rest on her Visa card,” Hogan said. 

After being the bridesmaid for so many years, Jamie Codd finally got his revenge on Derek O’Connor in the Point-To-Point riders championship and he was rewarded for that by picking up the Point-To-Point award for the second year on the trot. 

“A lot of things went right for me. Number one – I stayed sound. Number two – a lot of top owners and trainers stayed loyal to me. To win the title after so many years trying was just brilliant. It was just something that was annoying me more than anything and this year I got a bit of luck. You need a lot of luck when you are up against a man like Derek O’Connor,” Codd said. 

Leopardstown was crowned Racecourse of the Year, while their was a rousing reception for former trainer Mick O’Toole who received a special award for his Contribution to the Industry. 

Brian Kavanagh, HRI Chief Executive, described O’Toole as “larger than life, one of the best liked characters in the game.”

Horse Racing Ireland Award Winners
Horse of the Year: Sole Power
National Hunt award: Willie Mullins
Flat award: Eddie Lynam
Contribution to the Industry: Mick O’Toole
Outstanding Achievement award: Tom Hogan
Point-to-point award: Jamie Codd
Racecourse of the Year: Leopardstown

fonte : RacingPost