Panama Hat Retired Trainer Andrew Oliver has confirmed the retirement of his stable stalwart Panama Hat. The Team Valor-owned chestnut looked of limited ability after failing to even place in five starts as a two-year-old in 2013, but a gelding operation during the winter turned him inside out. Panama Hat won five straight races during a two-month period the following summer, while in 2015, he won the Listed Lenebane Stakes at Roscommon, the Group Three Diamond Stakes at Dundalk and was runner-up in the American St Leger at Arlington Park. Following a near two-year absence, the son of Medicean returned to competitive action with a second placed finish at Naas in July, but that proved to be his swansong. Oliver said: "Panama Hat has recently been retired. He got a tendon injury two years ago and unfortunately it returned after his comeback run at Naas. "He has been my favourite horse because of where he took us. He was difficult to train and we had to do his wind and geld him as a three-year-old. "When we changed tactics and sent him off in front he won five handicaps in a row. "He went from rated 60 to 108 and was then beaten (a neck) into second at the Curragh. It would have been unprecedented to win six in a row. "We'll maybe try racehorse-to-riding with him."
