Panther Claw

Panther Claw looks like a horse to keep on side after a pleasing first run under Rules in a beginners’ chase at Thurles last Thursday.

Paul Nolan’s six-year-old was having just his third ever run having had two starts in point-to-points at the start of the year, winning the second of them comfortably having finished second in the first, and that experience was clearly not lost on him as he jumped really well here. He was very accurate, right from the very first fence, he picked his feet up really well, and he didn’t make even a semblance of a mistake for the first circuit and a half. He jumped up to join the leader, Farrells Fancy, over the fourth from home, but Davy Condon just asked his mount to pick up coming to the third last and that forced Panther Claw into his first mistake of the race, he just got in a bit tight to the third last and hit it pretty hard. He was travelling better than anything up to that point but he tired from there, and just kept on to finish third.

Given how weak he was in the market, the Gigginstown House horse should be much better for the run, his first since February, and for the experience. This was a useful race in which to make his debut on the track, Jetson set a high standard, a 136-rated horse over hurdles, while the winner, Farells Fancy, who looked the most likely winner as soon as Panther Claw made that mistake at the third last, had finished second to Sword Of Destiny in a Grade 3 novice hurdle at Cork last winter.

Panther Claw was clearly very well regarded as a young horse as he was bought for €120,000 as a four-year-old, long before he had even run in a point-to-point. Given the way he jumps, he is a really exciting prospect.

25th October 2012