Soccer

Richard Hannon Snr’s formidable four Falmouth Stakes winners

The focus is on the females in Friday's Falmouth Stakes as Richard Hannon Jr heads to Newmarket with the well-fancied Snow Lantern.

The son of the legendary trainer Richard Hannon Senior was on the July course as assistant when his father's filly Sky Lantern was beaten in the 2013 Falmouth Stakes.

That neck defeat by John Gosden's Elusive Kate still stings the Hannon family who will be looking for redemption in Friday's Falmouth with the daughter of the 2013 runner up Sky Lantern and Frankel.

Hannon Snr retired in 2013 but dominated the early 90's runnings of the Falmouth Stakes, winning the one mile contest four times in five years.
Planet Sport is on hand to cast an eye over Hannon Snr's stars in the Falmouth.

Fancy a punt on Snow Lantern in the Falmouth Stakes - do it with with Planet Sport Bet.

Only Yours (1991)

Only Yours had just two wins to her name before contesting the 1991 Falmouth Stakes with her final prep run at Newmarket seeing the filly trail home in eighth place over seven furlongs.
Putting future Champion Jockey Michael Roberts on Only Yours was a masterstroke from Hannon Snr as the South African rider had Only Yours well placed in second for much of the running.
The race was then known as the Child Stakes, for sponsorship reasons, and it was like taking candy from a baby for Roberts as he brought Only Yours to the front at two furlongs out.
Only Yours travelled smoothly for a length and a half victory at a tasty price of 10/1. By 1992 Hannon Snr was Champion Flat trainer and no Falmouth winner under his command would go off at such a price again.

Niche (1993)

A talented but ill-fated filly, Niche was at home at Newmarket during the early 90's. She made up for a fourth place in the 1992 Cherry Hinton Stakes by improving over a mile to take second in the 1000 Guineas.
Yet, that wasn't the end to Niche's progression as she headed to the Falmouth Stakes in July 1993 under superlative jockey Lester Piggott.
Niche was owned by Lord Canarvon whose grandfather uncovered the tomb of Tutankhamun and it was the 13/8 favourite that had opponents calling for their mummies over a mile at racing headquarters.
Piggott, in the red and white Highclare silks, pushed Niche to a three and a half length victory from the Michael Stoute trained Dancing Bloom.
Sadly Niche met an untimely end due to a freak collision with Hannon's blacksmith's van, but her legacy lives on in those strong showings at Newmarket.

Lemon Souffle (1994)

Observers were mistaken if they thought Hannon Snr's female racing line had ended with Niche, as the classy Lemon Souffle was entered in the Falmouth in 1994.
Sired by the Prix De La Foret winning Salse, Lemon Souffle went one better than Niche. She claimed the Cherry Hinton Stakes at Newmarket in July 1993 before returning to contest the Falmouth Stakes in the summer of 1994.
There was no way the bookies would be caught out with another 10/1 Hannon Snr winner, so Lemon Souffle went off a tight 6/5 favourite.
Piggott made sure Lemon Souffle's challenge didn't sink and the filly made light work of the contest to win by a sweet one and a quarter lengths.
After handing Hannon his second Falmouth Stakes in a row, Lemon Souffle was named Cartier Champion Two Year-Old filly.

Caramba (1995)

Even with the dream combination of owner Lord Cararvon and breeding by Highclere stud, there was solid opposition in stopping Hannon's shot at a Falmouth hat-trick with Caramba.
The Dick Hearn-trained Harayir went off 15/8 favourite in a bijou field of five, but the bookies didn't discount Hannon's Caramba at 5/2.
Reunited with jockey Michael Roberts, who won Hannon his first Falmouth, Caramba took a keen hold early on but the South African moved his mount into second with two to go, much like he had in 1991.
But this was to be a much closer finish than Only Yours' Falmouth win as Caramba just couldn't burn off her opposition.
In a blanket finish it was the Michael Stoute trained Gay Gallanta who was shoulder to shoulder with Caramba at the finish. It was scalp scratching time for the Newmarket judge with Caramba given the race by the shortest of short heads from Gay Gallanta.
Now the baton had been passed to Richard Hannon Jr with Snow Lantern in with a serious chance of making it five Falmouth wins for this legendary racing family at Newmarket on Friday afternoon.

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