Brown Panther will bypass Saturday's King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot in favour of a defence of his Goodwood Cup crown.

Tom Dascombe's stable star finished eighth in the 2013 Melbourne Cup and is expected to enter quarantine ahead of a return trip to Australia as long as he performs well at Goodwood.

The six-year-old has already won two major prizes over further than a mile and a half (2400m) this season, the Ormonde and Henry II Stakes, as well as finishing fourth in the Gold Cup at the Royal meeting.

The going was soft for both his victories this term but conditions look like being much firmer at the Berkshire track at the weekend.

"We have decided to skip Saturday's King George VI to defend our Goodwood Cup crown next week," Michael Owen, Brown Panther's breeder and co-owner, said on Twitter.