Sky Lantern (grey): powered clear of her age group in the Coronation

PICTURE: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

SKY LANTERN is set to have her next start just three weeks after running out a blistering winner of the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, with the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket’s July festival her likely next port of call.

The Coronation was billed as a rematch between Sky Lanternand 1,000 Guineas runner-up Just The Judge, who had subsequently won the Irish equivalent in comfortable fashion.

NO. DRAW		HORSE	AGE	WGT	TRAINER RTF%	JOCKEY	OR	TS	RPR
	311-47	Big Break21	3	8-10	D K Weld		—	99	116
	1-5428	Bunairgead47	3	8-10	J S Bolger		—	97	107
	11-216	Chigun23	4	9-5	Lady Cecil		114	101	125
	6148-8	Dancewiththedevil23	7	9-5	Roger Varian		—	61	101
	215-13	Dank23	4	9-5	Sir Michael Stoute		109	98	122
	111d-11	Duntle23	4	9-5	David Wachman		—	102	124
	1323-4	Elusive Kate24	4	9-5	John Gosden		116	113	127
	532-34	Giofra75	5	9-5	A De Royer-Dupre		—	106	124
	4-2173	Hanky Panky29	3	8-10	A P O´Brien		—	89	109
	1-725	Hint Of A Tint23	3	8-10	David Wachman		—	102	111
	701-30	Intense Pink20	4	9-5	Chris Wall		104	89	116
	31132	Just Pretending22	3	8-10	A P O´Brien		—	94	116
	11-213	Just The Judge21	3	8-10	Charles Hills		110	107	121
	11032	Kenhope21	3	8-10	H-A Pantall		—	106	119
	91-120	Lovely Pass21	3	8-10	Saeed bin Suroor		105	65	104
	641-22	Magical Dream26	3	8-10	A P O´Brien		—	89	115
	9-1664	Maureen21	3	8-10	Richard Hannon		106	111	116
	9-1355	Mizzava21	3	8-10	M Halford		—	98	113
	110-31	Moonstone Magic44	4	9-5	Ralph Beckett		106	64	113
	53-134	Moth42	3	8-10	A P O´Brien		—	102	118
	116-00	Ollie Olga21	3	8-10	Mick Channon		104	108	113
	119	Pavlosk21	3	8-10	Sir Michael Stoute		103	83	115
	3128-8	Purr Along21	3	8-10	William Muir		111	112	120
	5-1420	Rehn´s Nest21	3	8-10	J S Bolger		—	78	117
	1	Rock Of Ridd22	3	8-10	Lennart Reuterskiold Jr	DOUBTFUL	—	—	—
	43-425	Sarkiyla23	4	9-5	A De Royer-Dupre		—	100	119
	531-27	Sentaril42	4	9-5	William Haggas		100	90	113
	18-211	Sky Lantern21	3	8-10	Richard Hannon		111	118	128
	1-3500	Snow Queen21	3	8-10	A P O´Brien		—	100	116
	324-46	Starscope42	4	9-5	John Gosden		104	91	114
	1-3240	Stirring Ballad23	4	9-5	Andrew Balding		97	102	113
	12-319	Thistle Bird23	5	9-5	Roger Charlton		108	109	121
	12-302	Topaze Blanche40	3	8-10	C Laffon-Parias		—	106	119
	112-16	Viztoria21	3	8-10	Edward Lynam		—	119	121
	1313	Woodland Aria23	3	8-10	John Gosden		93	104	110

Yet Sky Lantern, who got the better of Charlie Hills’s first Classic winner by half a length at Newmarket, was even more authoritative at Ascot. Held up from a wide draw, she was brought home in impressive style under a wonderful ride by champion jockey Richard Hughes.

Sky Lantern put four lengths between herself and her nearest pursuer at Ascot, with a further neck back to Just The Judge, and with nothing around over a mile that even looks like being able to get close to her, she will now take on her elders in a bid to prove herself the best female over a mile of any age in the Etihad Airways-sponsored Group 1.

“Sky Lantern will probably go for the Falmouth, but she would need fast ground,” said Richard Hannon. Already the top-rated filly among the 35 entries, Sky Lantern would receive a handy 9lb from her older rivals, which could include fellow royal meeting winner Duntle as well as Elusive Kate, Chigun, Dank and Giofra.

Sky Lantern’s Ascot win, for which she was officially rated 119, is the highest achieved by a filly or mare in Britain since Midday’s Nassau triumph at Goodwood in 2011.

Rod Street, chief executive of British Champions Series Ltd, said: “She’s clearly the best three-year-old filly we’ve seen for a while and the way she won the Coronation Stakes was simply sensational.”

fonte: RacingPost