THE PANTHER FAILS AGAIN.

Northern Advocate, 23 December 1919, Page 6

THE PANTHER FAILS AGAIN.

EITHER A "FALSE ALARM" OR A

COWARD

Referring to the racing at Newmarket (England) on October 14th, "Vigilant" in the "Sportsman" writes "The Champion Stakes was confined to three-year.olds, and I doubt much if a 'champion' was included in the opposition. The race served to rein, troduce The Panther, and much fancied at that. He certainly looked well, and, with Donoghue vp f was always disputing favouritism with Buchan and Perion, all on the same mark as regards weight. The expected improvement in The Panther was not realised; he simply did nothing in the race beyond showing speed for half the journey, and how he won the Two Thousand Guineas will always be a mystery. It will have to be in moderate company if ever he wins again, but there may be another side to the picture in that he is a coward. Up to the Bushes Perion appeared to be going as well as Buchan, but Major Astor's horse patiently and nicely handled throughout by Brennan, stayed on to beat him very cleverly Iby three-quarters of a length. Buchan cannot be magnified into a champion and the inference is that the classic three-year-olds are not of high class. One might be tempted, perhaps to make exception in favour of Keysoe, remembering her hollow defeat of Dominion, Buchan, and all the rest in the St. Leger, and having regard also to scope for improvement 3he may, and probably will, prove the best of the four-year-olds, next season t especially over a long course. She was in no way distressed to give a stone and a handsome beating to Palatina in the Newmarket Oats, but, after all, everything said to the credit of Lord Deriby's grand mare rebounds forcibly to the credit of Flying Spear, who under altered conditions avenged her Goodwood defeat at Newbury.