King’s Stand Still The Aim For Winter Power

King Power Racing's Group 1 winner Winter Power (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}) has exited her eighth-place finish in the G2 Temple S. at Haydock in good order and is still targeting the G1 King's Stand S. at Royal Ascot, according to trainer Tim Easterby. Successful in the G1 Nunthorpe S. last term, she was unplaced in both the G1 Flying Five S. at the Curragh in September and at ParisLongchamp in the Oct. 3 G1 Prix de l'Abbaye. Easterby is putting her performance down to a lack of conditioning and is confident that his filly will improve from the run.

“She's fine. She's come out of it sound and well,” said Easterby. “She just had a blow and needed the race, but she seems all right. That [King's Stand] is the idea.”

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Fanning Remembers The Last Lion

Group 1 winner and former sire The Last Lion (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) sustained a fatal injury in a six-furlong all-weather handicap at Kempton Park on Saturday. A winner of the Brocklesby in 2016, the bay was eight.

The Last Lion enjoyed a rigorous campaign in his 2-year-old year, and after winning the Brocklesby in early April, ran second in the G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot, his fourth start of the year. Successful in the Listed Dragon S. later that summer, he then reported home second in the G3 Molecomb S. in July and dropped to third in the G2 Gimcrack S. at York. He added the G3 Sirenia S. over the Kempton all-weather in September, and was second in the G2 Flying Childers S. back at Doncaster. Sent to Newmarket for the first time, the colt won the G1 Middle Park S. by three-quarters of a length.

“It was sad and he didn't deserve that,” said jockey Joe Fanning. “Coming round the bend it just happened quickly, it was one of those things.

“He was moving OK and just on the bend, I wasn't 100% happy then he just went. It was one of those things and you couldn't blame the track or anything like that.”

The Barronstown Stud and Mrs. T. Stack-bred retired to stud for the 2017 season at Darley's Kildangan Stud in Ireland. The Last Lion was later moved to Hedgeholme Stud. His fertility decreased and he was gelded. From just 96 foals over four crops, he had sired 49 runners and 16 winners, with one black-type placed horse to date. Prior to Saturday's engagement, he had been brought back in the spring of 2021 and made three more starts for trainers Mark and Charlie Johnston.

“He was a great horse and he was my first Group 1 winner,” the rider continued. “He was a lovely gentleman of a horse, he was good to do anything with. As a 2-year-old he was a tough horse, he won the Brocklesby then he had about 10 races that year. He was tough as old boots.

“He just seemed to get better the more racing he had as a 2-year-old. That day at Newmarket was great, I wouldn't have retired happy if I hadn't ridden a Group 1 winner, so that was a bit of a relief that day–he was a lovely horse.

“He was an old gentleman and it is sad it has ended like that. He was rusty the first couple of runs since he came back, he missed the kick a couple of times and he was never like that before. He seemed to sharpen up a bit and seemed to be enjoying life.”

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Snow Lantern Retired; To Visit Dubawi

The Keswick Family's homebred G1 Falmouth S. winner Snow Lantern (GB) (Frankel {GB}) has been retired from racing and will be covered by Dubawi (Ire) this season.

Trained by Richard Hannon, as was her Classic-winning dam Sky Lantern (Ire) (Red Clubs {Ire}), Snow Lantern was second in her lone start at two. With Hannon making no secret of the level at which he regarded the filly, Snow Lantern won on seasonal debut at Newbury last April, earning 'TDN Rising Star' status. After finishing third as the favourite in the Listed Michael Seely Memorial S. at York, Snow Lantern was second to Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) in the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot before getting her Group 1 in the Falmouth over G1 1000 Guineas winner Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), Alcohol Free and Lady Bowthorpe (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}). Snow Lantern was third behind Alcohol Free and the G1 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace S. winner Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) in the G1 Sussex S. and fourth in ParisLongchamp's G1 Prix du Moulin, and disappointed when last in the G1 Sun Chariot S. in October.

Snow Lantern's resulting foal will be bred on the reverse of the Frankel over Dubawi cross that has produced three stakes winners from 29 named foals, including last year's G1 Derby winner Adayar (GB) and Godolphin's G1 Jebel Hatta scorer Dream Castle (GB).

The Keswicks' advisor Ed Sackville said, “We felt that Snow Lantern has done her job. She's a Group 1 winner and we're aware that Dubawi isn't getting any younger and we're very keen to send her to Dubawi. It's kind of a no-brainer because the Derby winner was by Frankel out of a Dubawi mare. Physically, she'll suit Dubawi; she's a mare with plenty of size and scope.”

Sky Lantern was selected by Sackville for the Keswicks for €75,000 from Goffs Orby in 2011. She won the G1 Moyglare Stud S. at two and the G1 1000 Guineas, G1 Coronation S. and G1 Sun Chariot S. at three. Sky Lantern's first three foals are winners, headed by Snow Lantern. Her 3-year-old colt First Emperor (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) is unraced but is in training with Donnacha O'Brien, while her 2-year-old Kingman (GB) colt who sold to Oliver St Lawrence on behalf of Bahraini clients for 625,000gns at Tattersalls October Book 1 is with John and Thady Gosden. Sky Lantern has a yearling colt by Kingman, is currently in foal to Frankel and will visit Snow Lantern's sire again this season.

Sackville said the Keswicks are focused on quality in building their commercial operation.

“The Keswick family have studied the business models of commercially successful studs and are seeking to replicate that with the emphasis on quality,” he said. “Keeping the fillies and selling the colts is the most recognizable way to achieve this.”

Sky Lantern isn't the only member of the Keswicks' boutique broodmare band at Rockcliffe Stud who will visit Frankel this season; she will be joined by Canton Queen (Ire) (Shamardal), a winning granddaughter of the champion filly Queen's Logic (Ire) (Grand Lodge) from the deep family of Classic winners Dylan Thomas (Ire), Homecoming Queen (Ire) and Serpentine (Ire). Canton Queen, like Sky Lantern, is currently in foal to Frankel.

The listed-winning and group-placed Pepita (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}) is in foal to Kingman (GB) and set to visit him again, while the group-placed Black Cherry (GB) (Mount Nelson {GB}) and her listed-placed daughter Little Rollright (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) are headed to Ireland to visit Dark Angel (Ire) and Kodiac (GB), respectively. Black Cherry is currently in foal to Night Of Thunder (Ire), while it will be the first mating for Little Rollright.

Also headed to Ireland for Coolmore sires are Marsh Hawk (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), dam of the winning and listed-placed Mohawk King (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}); and the three-time winning Tai Hang Dragon (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}). Marsh Hawk is in foal to Wootton Bassett (GB) and will visit No Nay Never, while Tai Hang Dragon is the reverse: she is currently in foal to No Nay Never and will visit Wootton Bassett.

The winning Pivotal (GB) mare Raincall (GB), a daughter of Australian Group 1 winner Lone Rock (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) from a deep Group 1 family Down Under, is in foal to Mehmas (Ire) and visits Ardad (Ire) in 2022.

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King of Change Welcomes His First Foals

  • G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. victor King of Change (GB) (Farhh {GB}) celebrated the arrival of his first two reported foals recently
  • Bred by John Quigley, the colt is out of the seven-time winner Table Forty Six (Ire) (Refuse To Bend {Ire}), who is from the extended family of the dual Group 1-placed Mezzogiorno (GB) (Unfuwain).
  • He is “the best offspring that the mare has produced,” according to Quigley.
  • Joining the colt, is a filly out of Miss Frangipani (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who was bred by Stuart McPhee.
  • King of Change stands for €6,000 at Derrinstown Stud this year.

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