Giant leap for Brown Panther as St Leger Stakes seems likely for Michael Owen’s colt
Michael Owen owned three-year-old brown colt is set to achieve greater heights as his connections gear him up for the final classic of the season Group 1 £500,000 St Leger Stakes run on a massive distance of 1 mile and six furlongs.
The St Leger Stakes is the last leg of the British Triple Crown and it follows after the Group 1 £350,000, 2,000 Guineas Stakes.
Brown Panther landed a significant Handicap race win at the Royal Ascot, when he won the King George V Stakes Handicap on 16 June, 2011.
Run over a distance of 1 mile 4 furlongs, Brown Panther defeated a packed field of 18 horses to achieve the title at the most prestigious stage.
The Royal Ascot win prompted Brown Panther’s inclusion in the Group 1 Deutsches Derby for three-year-old colts and fillies to be run on a turf track at Hamburg Germany.
Tom Dascombe trained Brown Panther couldn’t fulfill his owners’ expectations as he finished a disappointing fifth in the German Derby.
Ridden by jockey, Richard Kingscote, the pair had to contend with a rain softened ground that made the track heavy.
The son of Shirocco was sent to lead from the start, which he did, set up a good pace early, under jockey, Richard Kingscote.
The pair ran well in straight, but couldn’t add on to the pace as they were 2 furlongs out.
All in all they stayed on well, showed great composure on a difficult heavy track.
As the horse racing season comes to a close in Britain, the horses with lesser experience get to participate in the Group 1 St Leger Stakes are normally tested if they have the grit in stakes races like the Great Voltigeur Stakes or the Group 3 Gordon Stakes,
before going into the final classic of the season.
Based on that evaluation, the horses get a green signal to go forth in the St Leger Stakes, but trainer Tom Dascombe said in an interview that it is highly unlikely that Brown Panther will run in either of these races and will go straight for the St Leger.
Seems as if they are taking a short route to success, that was the case when the colt barely had any graded race experience and was shot out in the Deutsches Derby which ended in a disappointment.
Brown Panther has to be evaluated on a shorter distance before running in St Ledger’s marathon distance of 1 mile and 6 furlongs.
Both, Great Voltigeur Stakes and Gordon Stakes, are run at 1 mile and 4 furlongs.
It is a case of a Flagship horse pushed to the fore, hope the decision turns out well and the horse doesn’t stay without busting him.
Tags: