Brown Panther (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}) is firmly on course for the G2 DRC Gold Cup at Meydan at the end of this month after pleasing connections in a routine spin after racing at Wolverhampton Monday. It is almost four years since Tom Dascombe's stayer reduced part-owner and ex-footballer Michael Owen to tears with victory at Royal Ascot and there were similarly joyous scenes in the winner's enclosure at The Curragh last autumn after he delivered the Group 1 prize he had long promised in the G1 Irish St Leger. The 7-year-old did not figure on his final start of 2014 in the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf, but Dascombe reports his stable star to have returned from his winter break as good as ever and is confident his boundless enthusiasm remains intact ahead of Dubai World Cup night Mar. 28.
“He just had a canter round Wolverhampton with a pony, just to take the freshness out of him more than anything,” said Dascombe. “He seems in great form at the moment and, all being well, we're on course to run in the Gold Cup. We've been delighted with him since he came back into work. He doesn't actually go anywhere during the winter, we just turn him out for a bit and then bring him back and he's a horse that seems to really thrive on exercise.”
Richard Kingscote has steered Brown Panther to nine of his 10 career triumphs and although he has been sidelined since suffering a horror fall at Wolverhampton in November, he is set for an imminent return as he aims to get race fitness under his belt before his Dubai mission.
“Richard rode the horse [at Wolverhampton] and unless something goes wrong in the next couple of weeks, he'll ride him in Dubai,” added Dascombe. “We've jocked him up on a couple at Wolverhampton this weekend, so hopefully he'll be back in action then.”
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