Panther Set To Strike In Gold Cup

Andrew Black and Michael Owen’s Group 1 winner Brown Panther (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}) has twice won stakes first-up off a winter layoff, and that is exactly what the 7-year-old bids to accomplish in Saturday’s G2 Dubai Gold Cup. Brown Panther recorded his first big-race win when taking the prestigious King George V H. at Royal Ascot in 2011 and he has since developed into a classy marathoner. He opened his 6-year-old campaign last year with a pair of Group 3 scores in Britain and was third in Royal Ascot’s G1 Gold Cup prior to taking the G1 Irish St Leger. The dark bay threw his rider and ran off on the way to the post for the GI Canadian International at Woodbine last October and was re-routed to the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf where he checked in 11th, although beaten just 5 3/4 lengths for it all. Trainer Tom Dascombe remarked Friday, “He’s a professional, taking it all in, and I couldn’t be happier with his condition.” 

Also shipping from Britain is the Andrew Balding-trained Havana Beat (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}), who won the Listed Coral Marathon at Sandown last July over a sixteenth longer than this. The 5-year-old gelding rounded out his season with a third in the Listed American St. Leger in August, and warmed up for this when finishing fourth in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy Feb. 28. Winning that 1 3/4 mile contest was Sheikh Hamdan’s Almoonqith (Dynaformer). That 5-year-old has been busy at Meydan this campaign; he has run five times for two wins and with the exception of his season opener has not been beaten more than two lengths. Almoonqith is one of two in the race for trainer Mike de Kock, who also saddles the 9-year-old gelding Star Empire (SAf) (Second Empire {Ire}), a resurgent third in the Nad Al Sheba trophy. 

French shipper Bathyrhon (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) appeared to be rounding into his best form late in his 4-year-old campaign last year, when he won the G3 Prix Gladiateur at Longchamp and finished second, beaten a neck, in the G1 Prix du Cadran on Arc day. His prior effort was a fourth, beaten 3 1/2 lengths by subsequent G1 Melbourne Cup scorer Protectionist (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), in the G2 Prix Kergorlay over soft going in August. Qatar is represented here by Al Shaqab’sDubday (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who only loss in his last seven outings came on this card last year in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic, when he was virtually pulled up after being impeded on the first turn by Mars (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who suffered a cardiac event. Dubday won the HH The Emir’s Trophy at Doha Feb. 26 and tries two miles for the first time.