By Kelsey Riley
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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