'She's in incredibly good form' - Lantern's green light for Moulin blockbuster

Falmouth Stakes heroine Snow Lantern is in such "incredibly good form" that connections have decided to roll the dice and throw her into a blockbuster Prix du Moulin against Baaeed and Poetic Flare at Longchamp on Sunday.

Snow Lantern will bid to give Richard Hannon a first win in the race and Ed Sackville – representing the filly's owners and breeders Rockliffe Stud – revealed on Wednesday that her sparkling home form virtually forced their hand to run at the weekend.

"It wasn't the original plan and after Goodwood our next intention was the Sun Chariot," said Sackville. "But she has been in incredibly good form at home – full of life – and so we thought we would take the opportunity to run. We go there hoping for a big run."

Snow Lantern gained Group 1 honours on just her fifth start when landing the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket, beating Alcohol Free and 1,000 Guineas winner Mother Earth in a top-class event.

The roles were reversed when Jeff Smith's filly came out on top in the Sussex Stakes – with Poetic Flare second – while Snow Lantern had to wait on a run and never appeared entirely in love with the track at Goodwood.

Snow Lantern (far left) powers to victory over Mother Earth (purple cap) and Alcohol Free (right of picture) in the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes at NewmarketCredit: Alan Crowhurst

With nearly a month until the Sun Chariot, Sackville added: "It fits neatly into the programme and while it's not ideal taking on colts, she beat them in her maiden and she ran well against them in the Sussex Stakes, a race won by a filly.

"The Matron Stakes [for fillies and mares only] might have been a more obvious choice but we all thought that the relatively tight track at Leopardstown may not have been ideal for her."

Snow Lantern's presence adds to the scale of the challenge facing favourite Baaeed after nine of the original 22 entries stood their ground at Wednesday's forfeit stage. Of those, five are Group 1 winners.

William Haggas's unbeaten son of Sea The Stars nonetheless remains a strong market leader at 8-11 with Ladbrokes having made rapid progress through the ranks in four starts since the start of June, capped most recently when routing the Group 3 Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes field at Glorious Goodwood by six and a half lengths.

However, the mile division has been as vibrant as any in Europe this season, thanks largely to 2,000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes hero Poetic Flare, who has been a constant in virtually every major Group 1 open to him over the trip this summer. He remains on course for Longchamp, having played his part in a thrilling battle with Palace Pier in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville last month.

Order Of Australia ran a fine race to be best of the rest in the Marois and could take his chance, while stablemate Lope Y Fernandez also features among the remaining entries, although Aidan O'Brien will be keeping a close eye on Irish Champions Weekend a week later and took Mother Earth out of the Moulin on Wednesday.

Prix du Moulin de Longchamp remaining entries

Lope Y Fernandez
Victor Ludorum
Order Of Australia
Poetic Flare
Baaeed
Partenit
Novemba
Snow Lantern
Coeursamba

Prix du Moulin de Longchamp betting

Ladbrokes: 8-11 Baaeed, 9-4 Poetic Flare, 8-1 Snow Lantern, 14-1 Order Of Australia, 16-1 Victor Ludorum, 20-1 bar

Read more:

Longchamp not Goodwood for exciting and unbeaten Baaeed

Snow Lantern mows down Mother Earth and Alcohol Free in fantastic Falmouth

Colin Keane confident Tarnawa has the speed for St Mark's Basilica clash

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