Lantern fires in Moyglare
One of three supplementary entries to the race last Tuesday, the grey daughter of Red Clubs, successful on her previous visit to Ireland — at Naas back in June, came through to lead at the furlong-pole before stretching clear to slam Jim Bolger’s second string Scintillula (Ronan Whelan) by two and a half lengths, with favourite Harasiya third.
Sky Lantern was giving trainer Richard Hannon his second Moyglare success, 19 years after the victory of Lemon Souffle and Lester Piggott (1993). Richard Hannon Junior declared: “It looked an open Moyglare, but she won impressively.”
He added: “She’s a filly that carries a lot of weight. She always looked like a filly that would come good in the second half of the season and she’s on course to be a 1,000 Guineas filly next year.”
Hannon paid tribute to the filly’s owner Ben Keswick: “It was gutsy of her owner to put up the supplementary fee on Tuesday. Unfortunately, he’s not here — he’s based in Hong Kong.”
Plans for Sky Lantern’s immediate future must be made. But Hannon suggested that a crack at the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies might be on her agenda.
A trip to Santa Anita is also planned by Aidan O’Brien for Up following her narrow defeat of Caponata in the Irresistible Jewel Blandford Stakes, one of three Group 3 events on the supporting card.
Only a short-head separated the two fillies at the line. O’Brien explained: “We thought that a mile and a quarter was as far as she’d stay and Joseph rode her to get the trip. She’s been busy and will get a short break before going straight to the Breeders Cup (for the Fillies And Mares Turf).”
Narrowly denied with Caponata, Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen had earlier savoured Famous Name’s twentieth career success, achieved at odds of 2/5, in the Group 3 Refuse To Bend Solonaway Stakes.
Dropping back to a mile, the remarkable seven-year-old had to be ridden to lead early in the final furlong before forging clear to beat One Spirit by two and three-quarter lengths.
A delighted Weld said: “He loves being a racehorse and is a joy to train. It’s amazing for any horse to win 20 races, 19 of them at stakes level.”
And, when asked about future plans, Weld explained: “The plan this season was to win a Group 1 and I must discuss plans with Lord Grimthorpe.
“He’s in a Group 1 in Italy later in the month, which is a possibility, or he could go to Newmarket for the Joel Stakes (Group 2). He’s still enjoying life and we intend to keep him going.”
The nine-race maiden Leitir Mor belatedly opened his account when holding the late surge of Cougar Ridge by a short-head in the Go And Go Round Tower Stakes, giving Jim Bolger (attending the All-Ireland Hurling Final in Croke Park) and Kevin Manning their second Group 3 success of the weekend, following Alla Speranza’s win at Leopardstown on Saturday.
Runner-up in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes over this course and distance but beaten in Dundalk last time, Leitir Mor’s win came as a relief to the Coolcullen team, as Bolger’s representative Ger Flynn explained: “There was plenty of pace and he relaxed. Kevin said he travelled better today. He hasn’t always shown on the track what he’s been doing at home. It’s great that things went right for him today.”
Out of luck with Harasiya in the Moyglare, John Oxx had introduced a promising debutant in the opening two-year-old fillies maiden when Tarana, a Cape Cross filly ridden by Niall McCullagh, proved too strong for the David Wachman-trained Bronte.
Oxx completed a first and last race double when Ebazan, ridden by Colm O’Donoghue, justified 11/4 favouritism in the concluding Unaccompanied Maiden.
In the handicap action, Montebell continued the tremendous form of Ken Condon and Shane Foley by landing the Autumn Fillies Handicap while Dylan Robinson (17), who is apprenticed to Jim Bolger, registered his first win in the saddle on board Lake County, trained in Holycross, County Tipperary by James Barrett, in the Free To Speak Apprentice Handicap.
