Panama set to tackle stakes company Panama Hat is likely to continue his phenomenal rise up the ranks in the Group Three KPMG Enterprise Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday. The Andy Oliver-trained three-year-old won five races in the space of eight weeks which saw his rating shoot up from 60 to 108. Now, after completing a five-timer in handicaps, Panama Hat has earned the right to take on Pattern company. "It's incredible. Nothing went right last year, but everything has this. I think he's probably going to run him in the 10-furlong Group Three this week. He's leaning in that direction," said Barry Irwin, founder and head of owners Team Valor. He went on: "I'm more interested - but that's me personally - running him back in the Diamond Stakes, which is at Dundalk over 10 and a half furlongs (on October 3rd). "The way he handled that Polytrack (when winning a premier handicap last month) I thought it actually moved him into a different dimension. I don't know if we can run in both of these races or just one. "I keep lobbying Andy to go for the Polytrack race, but I think he's more interested in this one as he thinks he has a better shot at it. "He doesn't want to do it quite yet, but that's the direction he's going."
