Snow Lantern on Falmouth mission for Hannon

PA Sport Reporters
July 4, 2021 12:15 pm

Stable suffered disappointment with filly’s mother in 2013 renewal.

Richard Hannon will seek some Newmarket “closure” as Snow Lantern goes for gold in the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes on Friday.

The Frankel filly is a daughter of Sky Lantern, who finished a neck second in the Group One contest for Hannon’s father, Richard senior, in 2013 after a dramatic battle during the closing stages that saw Elusive Kate hold on to victory following a stewards’ inquiry.

Hannon believes Sky Lantern should have been awarded the race, but he will be looking to Snow Lantern to right the wrong and continue her rapid upward trajectory this term.

Snow Lantern raced just once as a juvenile – but has made significant strides in 2021, winning a Newbury maiden before disappointing slightly at York and bouncing back with a fine second to Alcohol Free in the Coronation Stakes on her Group One debut.

Snow Lantern (right) chased home Alcohol Free at Ascot (David Davies/PA)

Hannon said: “We were disappointed on the day with Sky Lantern. I thought we should have been given the race but we weren’t, but we then beat Elusive Kate later in the season in the Sun Chariot Stakes.

“Snow Lantern hasn’t won a 1000 Guineas like her mum, but she is going there hopefully to win where her mother didn’t but should have, and it would be nice if she did just that.

“She is as fresh as a daisy. It would be nice if she could win the race as her mother deserved it. She is in good nick and is good enough to win a race like this.

“There is a score to be settled there and it would give us some sort of closure.”

Elusive Kate (left) beat Sky Lantern (right) in the Falmouth Stakes (Steve Parsons/PA)

Sky Lantern retired as a four-times Group One winner, including her 2013 Classic success, and while Snow Lantern has plenty to do to match her achievements, Hannon thinks she could rise to the challenge.

He added: “She has got a smaller profile than her mother at the moment, but she is just coming good. She is a Frankel out of a Guineas winner. She really is the image of her mother. I’ve never known one so similar.

“She is quite a butch filly and thick-set. The revs are a bit higher than her mother because she is a Frankel, but she could easily be as good as her mum.”

Lusail (left) could contest the July Stakes (Alan Crowhurst/PA)

Lusail is also due to strut his stuff at Newmarket this week, with Hannon favouring Thursday’s Group Two Tattersalls July Stakes for the son of Mehmas.

He won over seven at the track last month – but Hannon thinks coming back in trip could be the best course.

He said: “I think he might be a six-furlong horse, but we don’t know whether to go for the July Stakes or the Superlative Stakes.

“We will work him at home first and go from there. He is still not there in his coat, but he has been like that all his life.

“He won well at York, then I don’t know what went wrong at Pontefract but it did. He is going to go to Newmarket for one of the two, but at the minute I’m thinking of the July Stakes.”