Ground likely to rule Sole out of the King's Stand Sole Power is highly unlikely to run in the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot on Tuesday because of the prospect of soft ground. Trainer Edward Lynam will delay a final decision until as late as possible in the faint hope conditions dry out. But he is pessimistic about his star sprinter taking his place in the five-furlong Group One. "I've spoken to Chris Stickels (clerk of the course). The ground is soft, he's hoping it will be on the easy side of good, but the weather isn't great and I'd say we were 95% a non-runner at the moment," the Co Meath handler told At The Races. "There is little likelihood of us running but given there are only three Group One races over five furlongs in Europe we will wait as long as we can to give it a chance. "The door has been big-time shut. In the last 12 months he couldn't run in the Nunthorpe because of the ground, and he was just pipped in the Abbaye. "The only other Group One race we could run in was in Dubai and we were a gallant second to a very good Australian horse (Ortensia). "On his ground, at his trip, he's very good. If it's the wrong ground or the wrong trip he's not good, so we won't run. We need the sun to shine. "The next realistic option for him after the King's Stand is the Nunthorpe."
