Brown Panther Wins Irish St Leger
- Monday, 15 September 2014 08:40
Brown Panther has annihilated his opponents in the Irish St Leger under a brilliantly-judged ride from Richard Kingscote.
The stayer, eighth in last year's Melbourne Cup, will be aimed at the Long Distance Cup at Ascot in preference to another trip to Australia.
Sent off at 14-1, Brown Panther was in second position for much of the journey, with Kingscote the only rider keen to keep pacemaker Eye Of The Storm within striking distance.
While Eye Of The Storm capitulated soon after the home turn, Brown Panther, kept up the gallop remorselessly and the chasing pack never looked like reeling him in.
The star of Manor House Stables passed the post 6-1/2 lengths clear of odds-on favourite Leading Light with Encke a close third, giving trainer Tom Dascombe his first Group One win.
"We have been having a real lean time," Dascombe said.
"We didn't manage to have a winner last week and I was close to pulling him out, but there aren't too many Irish St Legers so you have to run. The horse never lets us down.
"He won't go to Australia. He'll go for the Champions race at Ascot (Long Distance Cup).
"We are thinking about giving him a few races in Dubai. He'll probably run for one more season.
"It's my first Group One winner and couldn't have come at a better time."
His part-owner, former England international footballer Michael Owen, was moved to tears.
"He's the apple of my eye, as everyone knows, and he was pretty spectacular out there today," he said.
"He's a superstar."
