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What a fantastic day at Newmarket yesterday, the sun shone the winners were coming fast and furious and then came the Sun Chariot and into the paddock came Boadicea in the form of Sky Lantern looking just as she did when she took the 1000 Guineas in May. A great tribute to the Hannon team for keeping her going throughout the season.
The cheer that went up from the Grandstand when Sky Lantern hit the front was heartwarming and feel good factor was back as she arrived at the winners enclosure to be greeted by Richard Hannon Jnr. and Richard Hughes little lad. A day to remember.
I’m no Hammy when it comes to taking pictures but I went round to the area next to the pre-parade where she was cooling down after the race and took this shot.
Well done to the Queen of the Rowley Mile, Sky Lantern your light burns bright again.
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<!– s:D –>Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...Tough and durable filly who possibly has no equal among her gender peers at 1m when the ground is fast.
She’s never won what I’d call a "proper" (open to 3yo+ of both genders) Group 1, though.
Maybe she will get her chance next year.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Alot would depend on Toronado but it would be nice if they let her take her chance in the QE11 on Champions day as that would likely be run at a fair clip if Leitor Mor takes up pace making duty for Dawn Approach which would suit the filly. Who would you be cheering on if they met Trip?
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Would love to see Sky Lantern take her chances against the colts on Champions Day. and I think she would give a really good account of herself.
Dawn Approach, Toronado and Sky Lantern have all won in their own right at Ascot and for me it would be equal to the race between Mtoto, Reference Point and Triptych in the 1987 Coral Eclipse.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SI5iRU41vY
Mtoto, my favourite racehorse of the time,
the great Reference Point and of course Triptych.As you say Nathan if Letir Moir makes the pace it could play into the hands of the filly and Dawn Approach could see a flash of grey lightning pass him close to the line and I would be pleased to see her win, it would be a great achievement and what a race the 2000 Guineas winner v the 1000 Guineas winner a Champions Day in every sense of the word…who to cheer for? To be honest I’ve no idea.
Have to wait and see now which way the Hannon team want to play it, they seem to hold all the Aces.
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...Personally, with Elusive Kate below par and considering she had her ideal conditions I thought Sky Lantern made pretty heavy weather of a straightforward task. The runner up looks progressive but Duntle has been around long enough to suggest she is far from exceptional.
Sky Lantern probably deserves the accolade as the best 3yo filly at a mile but not much more than that. Hypothetical but would Treve beat her over a mile? If the race were run today I suspect the French filly would start favourite.
Sky Lantern might have been visually impressive in the Coronation but both that race and the 1,000 Guineas look as if they were very weak renewals. Viztoria is about the only one of the vanquished to look as if she might be progressive and her stamina was stretched at Ascot on ground that would have been far from ideal.
Sky Lantern has started favourite on eight of her eleven starts and been beaten on five of those runs. Her two biggest SP’S (and wins) followed disappointments so she has hardly been what you might call the punter’s friend.
Personally, with Elusive Kate below par and considering she had her ideal conditions I thought Sky Lantern made pretty heavy weather of a straightforward task. The runner up looks progressive but Duntle has been around long enough to suggest she is far from exceptional.
Whilst I would agree that with the modest showing of Elusive Kate, the field was pretty ordinary by Group 1 standards, I couldn’t agree that Sky Lantern made heavy weather of it.
Looked a smooth and quite cheeky win to me.
Mike
She’s won 4 group 1’s. Would have been 5 had she not have been dragged across the whole track in the Falmouth and the distance between her and EK would of been the same as the other day had she been allowed to run in a straight line. She has only ever finished outside the first 2 position twice both times when meeting interference with Hughes taking wrong turns on both occasion’s not the horses fault.
So stop talking crap Stilvi…….Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Personally, with Elusive Kate below par and considering she had her ideal conditions I thought Sky Lantern made pretty heavy weather of a straightforward task. The runner up looks progressive but Duntle has been around long enough to suggest she is far from exceptional.
Whilst I would agree that with the modest showing of Elusive Kate, the field was pretty ordinary by Group 1 standards, I couldn’t agree that Sky Lantern made heavy weather of it.
Looked a smooth and quite cheeky win to me.
Mike
Matter of opinion but I suspect Integral was favourite in running which would suggest it wasn’t that smooth.
I thought before hand it was a hard race, any of the field could win. Each had a positive argument and each their doubts. In the event, watching her go past the stand to the line, she looked absolutely sensational. I have always doubted her, I think because I always doubt what the connections say, but Saturday was her day for sure.
She’s won 4 group 1’s. Would have been 5 had she not have been dragged across the whole track in the Falmouth and the distance between her and EK would of been the same as the other day had she been allowed to run in a straight line. She has only ever finished outside the first 2 position twice both times when meeting interference with Hughes taking wrong turns on both occasion’s not the horses fault.
So stop talking crap Stilvi…….That would be a little tricky given that I would have had to start talking crap in the first place. You appear to have got a little over excited purely because my assessment does not measure up to your own.
You seem to be implying that merit is somehow measured simply by a number of Group 1’s victories. Whether it be four or five at that level in this case it is primarily a reflection of opposition and conditions. Against the great fillies of the past her Group 1 score would almost certainly be zero. She has benefitted greatly by the relative paucity of opposition and her favoured quick conditions.
Thanks for sharing the photograph, Triptych.
Whatever the form pundits say, she is a lovely filly and loved by her connections if Saturday’s evidence is anything to go by.
Colin
Sky Lantern has cashed in time and again this year and fair play to her. I would tend to agree with Stilvi though with regards to the strength in depth on the form side. At the time of the 1000 Guineas the names were tripping off the tongue regarding who could win the race, with Hot Snap, Just The Judge, What A Name and Moth all being put forward as live contenders beside the somewhat forgotten Sky Lantern after her seasonal debut failure. Some people thought that Big Break would emerge later in the season. As it turns out, apart from Just The Judge winning the Irish 1000 Guineas, all those touted fillies have disappointed on multiple occasions.
Aside from Just The Judge’s win and Sky Lantern herself, only one horse who ran in the 1000 Guineas has won since and that was Winning Express, who won a bad looking Warwick listed race over 7f when 10/11 favourite. That is hardly great form, from a filly who was only a nose off third in the Guineas, when probably not staying the mile.
I think sentiment often clouds the reality when it comes to horses and there is nothing wrong with that but, equally, there is no crime in being less enthused about the actual merit of the performances.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
Sky Lantern is surely an above average 3yo filly miler. Whom was the last better one in the UK / Ireland?
Sky Lantern would have been victorious twice over had she not been badly hampered in the Nassau by Winsili and in the Falmouth by Elusive Kate both ridden by William Buick. Add to that she took a couple of hard smacks to the nose in the Falmouth.
I would say that her performance on Saturday was remarkable and she has proved herself one of the most popular fillies in racing this season.Sometimes it’s not about how progressive she is or the quality of horses that she might have beaten it’s just enjoying seeing a beautiful thoroughbred filly go out there and repay her connections and those who have supported her the only way she knows how, and on Saturday she did just that.
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...I would concur with the above, but also add that the Coronation Stakes was the best performance by a 3yo female miler in many a year.
Stilvi it matters not one jot who Sky Lantern has beaten in winning 4 group 1’s, she is by far better than Elusive Kate and EK is by far better than the 4 y/o of her own sex at a mile imo, what filly over the past ten years or so is so much better than Sky Lantern?.
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Stilvi it matters not one jot who Sky Lantern has beaten in winning 4 group 1’s, she is by far better than Elusive Kate and EK is by far better than the 4 y/o of her own sex at a mile imo, what filly over the past ten years or so is so much better than Sky Lantern?.
By far? Sky Lantern is an excellent filly, but we are beginning to stretch and fall into contemporary glorification when saying "far better". Arguments can be made all day about the merit of the Falmouth (and Nassau) and we can also make arguments excusing Elusive Kate in the Sun Charriot (i.e clearly below her best)>
Elusive Kate is a very good filly, but she herself isn’t a dominant Filly within her own time frame.
Sky Lantern is an above average top class Filly. She hasn’t raced against the colts yet and she has been beaten twice (well, three) against her own sex (yes, excuses) this year. She hasn’t recorded a level of form that one would say Moonlight Cloud, Goldikova etc have. Perhaps she will when afforded the opportunity, but for now, let us just enjoy a good looking filly (for once phrased about a horse) and not go over the top.
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