Former England footballer Michael Owen has admitted that the death of his classic-winning racehorse Brown Panther is the "saddest day of my life".
The seven-year-old, who was trained by Tom Dascombe at Owen's stables in Cheshire, was put down after shattering a hind leg during the Irish St Leger at The Curragh over the weekend.
"It's the saddest day of my life," Owen wrote on blogging site Sportlobster. "The toughest, most honest, most brilliant horse I will ever set eyes on passed away today doing the thing he loved most.
"I was with him when he was born, shared an experience for seven years that will never be repeated and gave him his last kiss goodbye. What an honour to own and breed him. I love you Panther. Life will not be the same without you."
The racehorse won 11 of his 28 races.
