“DO YOU have the magic hands that worked wonders on Takeover Target?” our conversation opened. ‘No, I’ve got the privileged hands that have touched a special horse,” Gary Christou replied.
This headed a story I wrote about Takeover Target in 2006, another memory that triggered a GOOD Saturday entailing the remarkable Pride Of Jenni at the Gold Coast and the Rabbits being mighty against the somewhat gummy Sharks.
Pride Of Jenni, an eight-year-old mare that gets out in front, and adds her own dimension over every event she contests is just another reason why racing is going through a boom period but the cross-roads loom.
Rags to riches, epitomised by Takeover Target, has always been a feature and one that Richard Freedman, also at Gosford, stressed regarding the future.
Being a founder member of FBI, the Freedman Brothers Incorporated, one of the great turf partnerships, a media heavyweight, an administrator with the Australian Jockey Club and now back to the grass roots, training with his son, Richard, he is well qualified.
The industry is under fire with the vital cash flows, like the TAB and gambling advertising, in line for a hit.
“I cannot see prizemoney going up, be fortunate to remain where it is,” Freedman extolled looking into his crystal ball.
“However the money should be better distributed. Lesser races should get more. Majors like The Everest should be chopped and transferred to restricted events where more owners get a return.
“We don’t want to go the way of the U.K where racing is for the elite and wealthy. We need the people, the characters….”
And Joe Janiak, the Canberra taxi-driver courted by the silvertails at Royal Ascot with his broken-down cuddy Takeover Target, are examples.
Down from Coff’s Harbour on Saturday, Janiak featured at Gosford for the Takeover Target Stakes, the sprint captured by the gelding in 2006, possibly the first indication of his greatness, a title worthy for Alex Johnston, the mighty Rabbit, also triumphant on Saturday.
Call it South Sydney spirit, once railed as flagon port on the Redfern Oval hill, Johnston tottering on a knee geared like a Harold Park trotter as well as wee Jye Gray, barrelled by the Cronulla wrecking ball but next play took the ball into the Shark wall. Hard yards get me as much as slick passes but they were in abundance too – without you know who.
Maybe the speed of Johnston, it seemed to be a fast limp, was down but given a sniff of opportunity was still a sight to behold.
Maybe Johnston would benefit from the Christou touch that contributed to Takeover Target being a world-beater.
“Behind every outstanding racehorse is a team, and Christou, 53, an equine chiropractor and human osteopath has been a manipulating factor with the Ascot-bound Takeover Target,” the 2006 piece continued. “And Christou has been named by the team captain, trainer Joe Janiak, as a member of the touring side.
“Christou and Janiak go back about 20 years, and the hands man was called in about 2½ years back to look at a newcomer – “a plain little horse,” he recalled.
“Joe is a down-to-earth, genuine bloke. He said, ‘I bought this horse cheap. Go over him and see what you can do. He’s had a few issues with front legs and knees …’
“We spoke about his previous medical history and Joe said, ‘Keep an eye on this horse. I bought him to win a race around Bega or Cooma, but he’s got ability’. Takeover Target bolted in at his first start at Queanbeyan. Joe realised he had something special and I started seeing him every month.”
Janiak picked up the gelding, unraced, at a sale for $1375, little more than a dogger pays for the unkindest trip a horse can make. At last count Takeover Target had earned $1,871,100 for 11 wins and three placings from 18 starts.
Following the 2004 Pacesetter Stakes, Takeover Target notched the Ramornie at Grafton.
“After the Ramornie I was offered a $1 million for him but he did not pass the vet,” Janiak divulged on Saturday. Subsequently Takeover Target had 35 races, including successes in the United Kingdom, Japan and Singapore.
In his sixth and final season Janiak and his regular partner Jay Ford won the Group One T.J. Smith at Royal Randwick, and Goodwood at Morphettville, a triumph for the team including the manipulating hand.
Before one for the road on Saturday with the pair, Janiak related that Christou is still going strong.
“Apparently there was a carpet snake at one of the stables he visited and the trainer reckoned he had been trodden on by a horse that had ruined his back.
“The snake wasn’t crawling real well, and Gary asked whether he could have a look at him. Gary worked his magic and the snake slithered away, back to normal.”
Again the surface was under the microscope at Gosford, early regarded as favouring leaders but with pace the pattern changed to backmarkers.
Finally close to the rail was defined a no-go area by navigators, decreed as BAD by some. I reckon it played better than Hawkesbury the previous week, and presented strong racing. The times were fast. Surfaces must adhere to Racing NSW specifications.
Alas Adam Hyeronimus, so capable on Smashing Time earlier on the program, played the track card for the defeat of Mr Miller, the $1.95 favourite in the Benchmark 72, beaten a half-length by stablemate Nobler, prepared by Chris Waller.
Mr Miller struck a traffic jam in the straight: Hypo would not take a clear passage nearer the rail because “he felt the inside ground was inferior”.
Being on a hot favourite, in a six-horse field, the jockey should not have been trapped in a scrum. It was UGLY.
Once the circumstances would have triggered a violent demonstration from racegoers. Jack Green, the multiple Group One winning trainer, was a target for punters who felt he had done them wrong at Hawkesbury.
One attempted to jump the fence. Green king hit him in transit. “Why did you take this action?” stewards later asked Green.
“You don’t think I was going to let him get over the other side,” he replied.
