Brown Panther

Brown Panther put up a really commanding performance to win a mile and a half three-year-old handicap at Haydock last Saturday. Held up last through the first part of the race, Richard Kingscote was in no rush at the top of the straight, but as soon as he asked Brown Panther to make a bit of ground he cruised into contention, quickly finding himself going best of all on the heels of the leaders. Pulled to the outside, he picked up Reflect without too much fuss, Kingscote barely having to resort to the whip, just giving him a couple of very light flicks as he strode clear late on.

This was a really nice performance from the Shirocco colt. It was just his fourth ever run, and he has now won three with his only defeat coming on his seasonal reappearance at Kempton, it may have been that he just didn’t handle the surface there. He is progressing really nicely, this authoritative performance came on the back of an 8lb rise for his Chester win where he got up late home on a track that shouldn’t have suited him at all. With Haydock expected to suit this powerful colt much better, connections were keen for him to learn more about the game, hence the decision to hold him up. Brown Panther clearly had no qualms about the change in tactics as he travelled really well throughout and picked up willingly when in the clear inside the furlong.

There is plenty of stamina in Tom Dascombe's colt’s pedigree. His dam is a winner of the Listed Aphrodite Stakes at Newmarket over 12 furlongs, and she is a half sister to Warm Feeling who was third in an Ascot Gold Cup. Brown Panther is clearly not short of pace though as he showed here and he looks to have a very bright future. Admittedly he has gone up a further 10lb for this to a mark of 91, meaning he has gone up a total of 18lb for his last two wins, but connections won't be too bothered about that as they have fairly lofty aspirations for him. A mark of 91 guarantees him a run in the King George V handicap at Royal Ascot, which is reportedly the aim now, as long as the ground is not too firm. Indeed, last year’s winner of that race Dandino raced off the same mark of 91, and carried a nice racing weight of 8st 13lb. Brown Panther won with such authority here that it is not hard to see him running a big race at Ascot. He should be up to Pattern class before the season is out. He could even be good enough to be a St Leger horse.

21st May 2011

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