Hannon team readying Sky Lantern and Olympic Glory for their dates with destiny

Sky Lantern hacks up in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot – will she tatste Ascot glory again on Saturday? Image courtesy of racingfotos.com.

Triple Group 1 winner Sky Lantern, brilliant winner of the QIPCO 1000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes as well as the Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes, may be on course for a crack at the £1.3m QIPCO Champion Stakes, race five over a mile and a quarter on a spellbinding card on QIPCO British Champions at Ascot on Saturday.

It was thought that she did not like soft ground having flopped on it as two-year-old at Goodwood, but connections – notably her jockey, Richard Hughes – are now putting that down to the track rather than the going as she has been motoring across soft ground on the gallops this week with ease.

Richard Hannon Jr, assistant to his father, said: "She’s in great form.

"Because we’ve had a bit of rain, we’ve been using the grass and she is loving it.

"She did a piece of work on Monday and moved fantastically on it.

"Hughesie is adamant she’ll stay a mile and a quarter on any ground and there’s a lot more chance today that she’ll run than there was at the end of last week."

Meanwhile Olympic Glory, who ran the brilliant French mare Moonlight Cloud to a short head in France’s big mile race, the Prix Jacques Le Marois, will take on Dawn Approach in the one mile Queen Elizabeth II Stakes rather than stable companion, Toronado.

The latter has been ruled out due to the softening ground at Ascot, but Olympic Glory has won on heavy and could be a major threat to Dawn Approach, Soft Falling Rain and Maxios, to name just a handful of the top class field that is set to line up for race four on Saturday.

Olympic Glory was beaten easily by Maxios on his latest start, but he dropped himself out and did not seem to appreciate the bend at Longchamp in the Prix du Moulin in September.

He loves a straight track on which he made Moonlight Cloud pull out all the stops at Deauville in August and that’s just what he’ll encounter on Saturday.

Hannon Jr said: "Olympic Glory worked very well and is a runner on Saturday.

"He sort of dropped himself out in the Moulin so this time we are going to keep the revs up and make sure he doesn’t do that.

"You do need to get after him a bit, but I think he’s got a great chance as he has tip-top form on that sort of ground and he’s been lightly raced all year."

An exceptional day is in prospect so make sure you head to Ascot on Saturday! Tickets will be available at the gate, but you can also book in advance by CLICKING HERE.