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Sole Power is 8/1 for Friday's Nunthorpe Stakes Stakes at York (3.40pm), some 92 points shorter than when he won the race last season.

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The Eddie Lynam-trained sprinter proved that success was no fluke when winning the Temple Stakes in May and he can be excused defeats in the King's Stand (ground too soft) and a Listed contest at the Curragh (drawn on wrong side) on his last two starts. However, as good as he is, he's not unbeatable and this year's renewal looks hotter, with Stewards' Cup hero HOOF IT in particular looking a formidable opponent.

It's become a common perception that there is little to choose between the top handicappers and Pattern race performers in the sprint division, and few would argue that Hoof It doesn't deserve to take his chance in the big league after his stunning success off top weight of 10st in the Stewards'. Always held in the highest regard by connections, the son of Monsieur Bond simply blitzed his rivals that day and his new rating of 119 makes him the second-best sprinter in Britain, behind Dream Ahead.

Granted, all his form this season has been over 6f but he does have a course and distance victory to his name and was in front a good two furlongs out at Goodwood, so this drop back to 5f is unlikely to inconvenience him. His record under Kieren Fallon is another positive with the combo successful four times this season and the rider was sounding particularly bullish in his Weekender column, saying: "I simply can't see anything beating him."

It's just a shame that Bapak Chinta has been scratched from the race at the 11th hour as the presence of the Norfolk Stakes winner would have meant we could have got a better price on Hoof It. Still, the 7/2 currently on offer with Victor Chandler looks a shade over the odds (best nip in quick, though) and I will be filling my boots before travelling up to York on Friday, when I might be temped to have some more on, such is my confidence.

Like Fallon, I'm struggling to find any enthusiasm for the others. King's Stand winner Prohibit needs a stiffer 5f, Bated Breath has never even run over 5f and, as I've already stated, last year's winner Sole Power faces a far stiffer task this time. Bapak Chinta's stablemate Masamah could take some pegging back but, take Hoof It out, and the one I'd want to be on is the two-year-old REQUINTO, who is in receipt of a massive weight-for-age allowance.

The last juvenile to win the race was Kingsgate Native in 2007 and the two who ran in it last year were well beaten, but David Wachman's runner looked a real speedball when winning the Molecomb Stakes last month and he gets in here with a feather weight of 8st 1lb, which is 23lb less than what Hoof It has to carry. Hoof it he can to victory but I will still be having a small saver on Requinto at 8/1 (bet365) just in case.

Recommended Bets:-

Hoof It 4pts @ 7/2 Victor Chandler
Requinto 0.5pt @ 8/1 bet365