Five year-old Diamond Jubilee Stakes winner Slade Power is set to conclude his racing career later this year in Melbourne, Australia according to trainer Eddie Lynam.
Photo: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)
The Group 1 victory at Royal Ascot late last month gained Slade Power an automatic invitation to the $1 million VRC Sprint Classic, the penultimate race of the Global Sprint Challenge, at Flemington on November 8. Lynam has revealed he is keen to run.
“That will be the last race of his career,” the trainer told Sky Sports radio. “He’s favourite for the July Cup and hopefully he can deliver but regardless of that he will go to Melbourne.”
He added: “I hear you have got a very good sprinter [Lankan Rupee] over there but we’ll give it a go. We’ve been doing a bit of research into him and he might not be Black Caviar but he’s very, very good and he’s going to be a hard nut to crack.
“We’re not afraid to lose, so we’re going to give it a go. I think Slade Power will love the track in Melbourne.”
Slade Power has run in a total of 16 lifetime races so far, eight of which he’s won. His stable mate (and half-brother) Sole Power, who landed back-to-back victories in the King’s Stand Stakes at Ascot, is likely to finish his season in Hong Kong rather than Australia.
“I think the Hong Kong Sprint would suit him more,” said Lynam. “I won’t rule out going to Melbourne with him just yet but I’d imagine he’d probably go to Hong Kong.”
The VRC Sprint Classic is Victoria’s premier sprint in the spring, and is certainly among the best sprint races on the Australian racing calendar. First included in the Melbourne Cup Carnival program in 1960, this race was run over Flemington’s famous straight 1200m course, under handicap conditions on Derby Day, until 2006.
The quality of the VRC Sprint Classic is proven by the fact that the Flemington 1200m record has been broken by the winner on two occasions since 1991. Interestingly, these horses were half-brothers: Final Card (1991) and Gold Ace (1996).
In 2007, the weight conditions for this Group 1 sprint were amended from handicap to WFA, and the race was moved to Emirates Stakes Day, in preparation for its admission to the Global Sprint Challenge in 2008.
The VRC Sprint Classic is run for prize money of $1,000,000 plus a $2500 trophy, and attracts the best sprinters available, including well-performed runners from the Coolmore Stud Stakes.
Betting has yet to open for the November race, but keep your eyes on 
Betfair for when it does.
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