This story deserves a happy ending

Considering Australia’s devotion to Takeover Target over the past four years and the praise showered on Scenic Blast after his win in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot last month, it would be remiss not to write of the disappointment that came from the early hours of the weekend at Newmarket.

The disappointment, intitially, was from Scenic’s Blast flop (as 6/4 favourite) in the Group 1 July Cup (1200m) at Newmarket on Friday when Takeover Target (a 10/1-16/1 drifter) appeared to run his usual honest race near the lead before finishing seventh to the fast and erratic English filly Fleeting Spirit, who had been second to Scenic Blast over 1000m in the King’s Stand.

The disappointment became much worse when Takeover Target (B g 9, Celtic Swing (GB)-Shady Stream, by Archregent (CAN)) was found to have broken down. Touch wood, disappointment won’t become despair – veterinarians operated on the gelding and inserted seven screws in a cracked off hind cannon bone, between the knee and the fetlock joints.

Owner, trainer and ‘mate’, Joe Janiak, seems convinced Australia’s favourite horse will recover, telling the Racing Post (www.racingpost.com) after the operation: “Thankfully, it’s all good news … he will be resting at the (veterinary) hospital for a couple of months.”

Winner of world racing hearts, as well as Australians’, and winner of 21 races from 41 starts, with eight Group 1s and more than $6 million, TT deserves to come home to a comfortable retirement at Coff’s Harbour, where Canberran Janiak has stables bought from the warrior’s winnings.

Before the injury, Janiak told Australian racing’s best magazine The Thoroughbred (spring edition out now – see thethoroughbred.com.au to subscribe) in ‘Ordinary Joe, extraordinary story’ that when retirement day came Takeover Target would “probably spend a little bit of time at Living Legends in the warmer weather down there (at the retirement home for champion horses near Melbourne airport), some time in promotion work, and then I’ll ride him myself” on the beach at Coffs Harbour. “He’ll have a good retirement.”

Whether Janiak can actually jump on when TT’s leg mends is moot, but the hope is that the equine part of one of the best stories in Australian racing since Phar Lap can at least potter around contentedly on the beach at Coffs.

With 500kg of muscle racing at 60kmh on four thin pins, sprinting can be a tough game. Hong Kong star Absolute Champion was put down after breaking a leg in the KrisFlyer in Singapore last year (TT won the race) and the runner-up in this year’s KrisFlyer, Singapore’s rising star Rocket Man, is sidelined with a stress fracture of the cannon bone on his offside foreleg.

That TT survived so long at the top, despite many minor leg problems and actually breaking down with a tendon tear when fourth in the Golden Jubilee Stakes (1200m) at Royal Ascot last year, is testament to Janiak’s care – they deserve to grow old together.

PS: Despite running up to his nickname (Clyde for Clydesdale) rather than his reputation, Scenic Blast (B/br g 4, Scenic (IRE)-Daughter’s Charm, by Delgado (USA)) has many more races to run. The planned next start in Japan later in the year – and the bid to pick up the $US1 million bonus for a horse that can win three Group 1s in three countries in the Global Sprint Challenge – remains intact.

THEY SAID IT

“He has been a fantastic horse and we have had some great adventures with him.” Janiak, on Takeover Target, in the Racing Post.

“Cox Plate? Yes, yes, I think she will go for it,” said trainer Hideyuki Takaoka after Jolie’s Shinju’s five-length all-the-way win in the Group 1 Singapore Derby (2000m) at Kranji on Sunday. Jolie’s Shinju (Br m 4, Jolie’s Halo (USA)-Endearing Quality (USA), by Danzig (USA), was ridden by Australian Ronnie Stewart in winning all legs of Singapore’s Four-Year-Old Challenge – the  Patrons’ Bowl (1400m) and the Singapore Derby Trial (1600m) were the lead-ups.

It is a big step up to the $3 million Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 24, but Jolie’s Shinju gives Singaporeans an international focus now Rocket Man is off the scene.

“I was surprised by the margin when I looked on the big screen and I pulled her up a bit because I didn’t want to break too many hearts,” said jockey Chris Symons after Britomart won at Sandown, her third city win on end.

Britomart (B m 5, Zabeel (NZ)-Marshow, by Marscay) is another example of a punting truism: back mares in form. Trainer Rick Hore-Lacy obviously thought so, suggesting the $5 starting price about an even-money chance was a steal.

“He’ll learn a lot from that,” said jockey Steven Pateman, after Geeorb ($3f), usually a tearaway, was held back behind the leader Spirit Of Alaton  to win the Macdonald Steeplechase (3900m) at Sandown on Saturday. Punters learned that Geeorb (B g 8, Encosta De Lago-Our Saratoga (NZ), by Sky Chase (NZ)), like many of young Warrnambool trainer Ciaron Maher’s team, will be hard to beat in whatever jumps races he contests. The valuable double of the Hiskens (3700m, Moonee Valley, July 25) and the Crisp (3900m, Sandown August 16) are on the agenda, and the Crisp might bring a clash with boom jumper, the unbeaten Mazzacano.

WE SAW IT

Victorian Vlad Duric rode four winners at Kranji on Sunday, including his first Group race in Singapore, the G3 Singapore 4YO Sprint (1200m) on Ntini (B g 4, Johannesburg (USA)-Delia, (by Geiger Counter (USA)).

Ntini, who won three of 11 in Australia when trained by Lee Freedman and who was Michael Freedman’s first Singapore winner last year, was the 32nd of this season for MF, putting him equal second with Rocket Man’s trainer Patrick Shaw behind New Zealander Laurie Laxon (50) – Freedman’s win rate is 19%, Laxon’s 13%, Shaw’s 12.5%. The season will finish on December 20.

Duric left Melbourne in April for a stint that was to end this month, but has been so successful that he has extended his stay for another 12 months. He has 25 wins (striking at 16%), seventh on the premiership behind local Jumaat Saimee (57), eight times Singapore’s top jockey,  and South African Robbie Fradd (39). 

A rider winning on the comeback trail, a track he has been down many times because of injury and run-ins with authority, is Stathi Katsidis – the Queenlander won Saturday’s Listed Toowomba Cup (2100m) on the new cushion (artificial) track on the $4 favourite Jussemi as the middle pin of a treble. Katsidis, 30, is back this time after a long drugs suspension – and a broken leg.

WE’LL WATCH IT

The battle to be Victoria’s top metro jock will be the focus for the season’s remaining five meetings, starting at the Melbourne Racing Club meeting at Sale on Wednesday. Damien Oliver went on a Bali break one win ahead of Williams; he returns, after missing two meetings, one behind – 67-66.  Williams has seven Sale rides, Oliver five as the fight gets underway in earnest. Oliver, the most successful rider of the past 20 years, is chasing his eighth title; Williams, winner of the past three, wants to make it four on end.

David Hayes gives Williams two rides (Pavarotti and Distant Harmony) from his six acceptors as he chases Lee Freedman for the trainers’ title – Hayes has 62 wins, Freeman 64. Freedman has no Sale starters.  Hayes has won the title eight times, Freedman six.

Apprentice Dean Holland outrode his claim (80 wins) with a double on Saturday, and is locked on 32 wins in the metro appentices race with Nick Hall. Ibrahim Gundogdu (27) and Brenton Avdulla (23) are next. Holland has six chances at Sale, Hall two.

Back in action at Sale is top senior rider Danny Nikolic, attempting to rebuild his Victorian client base as he settles back in Melbourne after an aborted stint in Mauritius – he was sent packing for “disrespect” after a run -in with a steward – that followed a couple of years in Sydney. Nikolic adds depth to the local line-up.

Sydney’s jockey and apprentice races are all over with seven meetings left – Hugh Bowman (92) is 11 clear of Corey Brown (81) and Daniel Ganderton (44) has an 18-win lead on Nathan Berry (26). Add Nathan’s twin Tommy (21 wins) to the Berry tally and it would be a race! The trainers’ race remains close – Gai Waterhouse (81.5) had two weekend wins to lead Peter Snowden (78), who had more runners but only one winner.

Saturday’s races include Listed events at Caulfield ($100,000 Sir John Monash, 1100m), Rosehill ($100,000 Winter Stakes, 1500m) and Eagle Farm ($75,000 Tattersall’s Mile, 1600m). They also race at Belmont and Morphettville.

Sale isn’t the only big out-of-town meeting on Wednesday. Grafton has the $130,000 Listed Ramornie Hanidcap (1200m) and follows up on Thursday with the $150,000 Listed Grafton Cup (2350m).