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Richard Hannon-trained filly becomes the 17th Group One winner and 73rd stakes winner for Frankel
Juddmonte Farm's Frankel (Galileo) notched up his 17th Group One winner at Newmarket on Friday when the Richard Hannon-trained Snow Lantern (3 f ex Sky Lantern by Red Clubs) won the Falmouth Stakes (Gr 1, 1m).
Three year-old fillies dominated the race, which is also for older mares, filling the trifecta with Snow Lantern defeating 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) winner Mother Earth (Zoffany) by half a length, with Coronation Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) winner Alcohol Free (No Nay Never) in third place.
A homebred for Rockliffe Stud, Snow Lantern is the best of three winners out of Sky Lantern (Red Clubs), who was a four time Group One winner who also finished runner up in the Falmouth Stakes eight years ago.
"She's shown how good she is and what she's capable of," said Hannon.
"I always felt this filly was not good, but extremely good. Sky Lantern was by Red Clubs and she was exceptional. This filly, I think is exceptional and she has that pedigree, too – being by Frankel out of a Classic-winning mare.
"After what happened at York, I was sort of out on a limb thinking 'she needs to do something or you look a bit of a plonker'!
"I think she showed that at Royal Ascot on ground that probably doesn't suit her, and then she had to come here for what I thought was a very strong race – all the nice fillies were there."
On the future, Hannon said: "We'll sit down and have a think, but I do think she'll get a mile and a quarter.
"She's in the Nassau and the Sussex, so we'll look at Goodwood and I'd probably be leaning towards the fillies' race (Nassau).
"She's in the Juddmonte International as well, but I'm very hopeful she'll stay in training next year, so I'm happy to give her a nice time.
"These Group One races you need to be at your best and there are no weak ones at all. I I'm delighted to win one and not be unlucky for a change."
Sky Lantern was bought for €75,000 by Sackville Donald at the 2011 Goffs Orby Sale and went on to win six races and almost £850,000 in prize money. Snow Lantern is one of three winners and the first stakes winner out of her dam, who is a half-sister to stakes winners Arctic (Shamardal), Shanty Star (Hector Protector) and Hinton Admiral (Spectrum).
