News

Takeover Target touches down in Newmarket

26th May 2009

Racing Post - Peter Scargill - Tuesday, 26 May 2009

TAKEOVER TARGET has arrived safe and sound in Newmarket for his fourth assault on Royal Ascot next month.

The Australian superstar is entered for the Golden Jubilee Stakes but not the race he won in 2007, the King's Stand Stakes, as he bids to extend his record of finishing no worse than fourth in his five other starts at the meeting.

The nine-year-old was last seen finishing eighth behind Sacred Kingdom, who is also likely to run at Royal Ascot, in the KrisFlyer International Sprint at Kranji having previously been in tremendous form in Australia.

His trainer Joe Janiak said: "He arrived Saturday and had a brilliant trip over and he's settled good. It's our fourth time so we know our way round now.

"There was no problems with him [in the KrisFlyer International]. He didn't seem to handle the track all that good and he had different shoes on. He didn't seem to be stretching and they were too quick for him. He's won two Group 1s, a Group 2 and a Group 3 since England last year.

"He's jumping out of his skin at the moment. We'll do some three quarter work on Thursday and next week but he doesn't need a lot of work. I'd like to give him a trial clocking a week or two before the race."

Janiak is hopeful that Takeover Target can add to his impressive haul of eight Group 1 wins andmay also stay for the July Cup at Newmarket, a race he competed in on his first visit but missed the last two years.

"He's definitely got a chance but it will be very hard with Sacred Kingdom coming over," Janiak told At TheRaces. "He seems to go better with the sting out of the ground these days, so depending on what the weather's like he could stay for the July Cup."