eading Melbourne Cup contender Brown Panther is in doubt for Sunday's Irish St Leger with a high temperature.
Owned and bred by former English soccer great Michael Owen and trained by Tom Dascombe, the five-year-old was a close third 12 months ago and was being geared towards this event as preparation for the trip to Australia.
He is on the fourth line of TAB's Cup betting at $21.
Brown Panther has won both starts this season, most recently the Goodwood Cup.
Owen revealed the news via Twitter, saying: "Desperate news. Just got off the phone to Tom Dascombe who informs me that Brown Panther has a temperature and hasn't eaten anything today.
"Tom and our vets will monitor him in the next few hours but his participation in Sunday's Irish St Leger looks in doubt."