The Aussies have done it again!!!!
Scenic Blast was brilliant!
Best sprinter in the world?
Moderators: Roguelet, hpkingjr, WaveMaster
TT
The win last night by Scenic Blast was extraordinary for many reasons.
He now looks to have a slight edge over Takeover Target for Australian Horse Of The Year honours which makes the Gr 1 Golden Jubilee Stakes (1200m) in a few days time even more significant for TT.
The win by Scenic Blast is quite amazing for his sire Scenic, also sired the Melbourne Cup winner this Australian Racing Season 2008/09, Viewed.
The Cup is run over a distance of 3200m, the Kings Stand 1000m.
Scenic was a huge loss to the Australian breeding industry in 2005 but has left an amazing legacy of thoroughbreds who are adapt in all conditions, over all distances.
A son of the Champion Sire, Sadler's Wells, Scenic has sired 642 winners of 2536 races including 68 individual stakes winners of 152 stakes races for earnings in excess of A$77.3m.
It now looks likely Scenic Blast will bypass the Gr 1 Golden Jubilee Stakes to run instead in the Gr 1 July Cup (1200m), a race also targeted by Takeover Target, should he come through the Golden Jubilee in good order.
He now looks to have a slight edge over Takeover Target for Australian Horse Of The Year honours which makes the Gr 1 Golden Jubilee Stakes (1200m) in a few days time even more significant for TT.
The win by Scenic Blast is quite amazing for his sire Scenic, also sired the Melbourne Cup winner this Australian Racing Season 2008/09, Viewed.
The Cup is run over a distance of 3200m, the Kings Stand 1000m.
Scenic was a huge loss to the Australian breeding industry in 2005 but has left an amazing legacy of thoroughbreds who are adapt in all conditions, over all distances.
A son of the Champion Sire, Sadler's Wells, Scenic has sired 642 winners of 2536 races including 68 individual stakes winners of 152 stakes races for earnings in excess of A$77.3m.
It now looks likely Scenic Blast will bypass the Gr 1 Golden Jubilee Stakes to run instead in the Gr 1 July Cup (1200m), a race also targeted by Takeover Target, should he come through the Golden Jubilee in good order.
TT
Hi Taff,
Nearly our whole industry now is geared towards the speedy, precocious types. I say nearly as thankfully the Kiwi's led by Sir Patrick Hogan with Zabeel, still value the staying races from a commercial point of view.
From the Australian yearling sales where graduates can run in multi-million dollar two-year-old races to the generous bonus incentive schemes, this merely attracts the owners at one end looking for a quick return or to seeing their horse race in the next 12 months, while attracting the big business of standing stallions at the other end of the spectrum.
For example, win the Gr 1 Golden Slipper Stakes for two year olds, and the owners not only share in A$2m prizemoney but if they happen to have won it with a colt, he will automatically be worth anything from $10 to $30 million without having to race again. The studs just queue up not to mention the lucky stud that might have also stood the sire of the winner of the Golden Slipper.
Sadly, this all comes at the expense of distance races and breeding stayers which largely leaves only the purists who dream of one day possibly having a Melbourne Cup runner and thankfully a legend called Bart Cummings, who has made training stayers to win the Melbourne Cup an art form.
However, an interesting thing is, outside of Choisir who since winning the King's Stand and Golden Jubilee in 2003 has become a top shuttle sire for Coolmore, the other winners from Australia were the mare Miss Andretti, and Takeover Target and Scenic Blast, both geldings.
In the case of the latter two, it has largely been a case of having the right horse and knowing your horse well enough to realise they are pure sprinters and to preserve them as much as possible while specifically targeting the races that suit.
For example, Scenic Blast will turn five down here on 1 August, and so far he has had only 18 starts and all his 8 wins have been over 1000 or 1200m. In his whole career to date he has had only 4 starts past 1200m and 3 of those were as a three year old.
In Takeover Target's case, he will turn 10 on 1 August, but to date has had only 40 starts! He has been very well looked after by Joe Janiak and he has handled his career to near perfection.
But to answer your question it is difficult to pinpoint exactly where the motivation for training/breeding sprinters first started.
As previously mentioned in this thread, just take a look at the breeding of Scenic Blast. His sire this season has also sired the winner of the Gr 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) so when Dan Morton paid $85,000 at the 2006 Perth Magic Millions Yearling Sale, he might just as well have been thinking of the Melbourne Cup with Scenic Blast rather than the sprinting riches in England.
A funny thing is, while he has been overseas with Scenic Blast, another of his stable stars, Scenic Shot, and as the name suggests also by Scenic, was winning the Gr 1 Doomben Cup over 2020m and Gr 2 Brisbane Cup over 2400m.
I think a lot of it is too as the world would be aware, Australians are passionate about their sport and horse racing is no exception.
It is big news down here what Scenic Blast did last night and if Takeover manages to pull off the double on early Sunday morning our time, there is every possibility the Prime Minister might make Monday a public holiday! (well, one can only hope!)
Yours in racing,
Arganaut
Nearly our whole industry now is geared towards the speedy, precocious types. I say nearly as thankfully the Kiwi's led by Sir Patrick Hogan with Zabeel, still value the staying races from a commercial point of view.
From the Australian yearling sales where graduates can run in multi-million dollar two-year-old races to the generous bonus incentive schemes, this merely attracts the owners at one end looking for a quick return or to seeing their horse race in the next 12 months, while attracting the big business of standing stallions at the other end of the spectrum.
For example, win the Gr 1 Golden Slipper Stakes for two year olds, and the owners not only share in A$2m prizemoney but if they happen to have won it with a colt, he will automatically be worth anything from $10 to $30 million without having to race again. The studs just queue up not to mention the lucky stud that might have also stood the sire of the winner of the Golden Slipper.
Sadly, this all comes at the expense of distance races and breeding stayers which largely leaves only the purists who dream of one day possibly having a Melbourne Cup runner and thankfully a legend called Bart Cummings, who has made training stayers to win the Melbourne Cup an art form.
However, an interesting thing is, outside of Choisir who since winning the King's Stand and Golden Jubilee in 2003 has become a top shuttle sire for Coolmore, the other winners from Australia were the mare Miss Andretti, and Takeover Target and Scenic Blast, both geldings.
In the case of the latter two, it has largely been a case of having the right horse and knowing your horse well enough to realise they are pure sprinters and to preserve them as much as possible while specifically targeting the races that suit.
For example, Scenic Blast will turn five down here on 1 August, and so far he has had only 18 starts and all his 8 wins have been over 1000 or 1200m. In his whole career to date he has had only 4 starts past 1200m and 3 of those were as a three year old.
In Takeover Target's case, he will turn 10 on 1 August, but to date has had only 40 starts! He has been very well looked after by Joe Janiak and he has handled his career to near perfection.
But to answer your question it is difficult to pinpoint exactly where the motivation for training/breeding sprinters first started.
As previously mentioned in this thread, just take a look at the breeding of Scenic Blast. His sire this season has also sired the winner of the Gr 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) so when Dan Morton paid $85,000 at the 2006 Perth Magic Millions Yearling Sale, he might just as well have been thinking of the Melbourne Cup with Scenic Blast rather than the sprinting riches in England.
A funny thing is, while he has been overseas with Scenic Blast, another of his stable stars, Scenic Shot, and as the name suggests also by Scenic, was winning the Gr 1 Doomben Cup over 2020m and Gr 2 Brisbane Cup over 2400m.
I think a lot of it is too as the world would be aware, Australians are passionate about their sport and horse racing is no exception.
It is big news down here what Scenic Blast did last night and if Takeover manages to pull off the double on early Sunday morning our time, there is every possibility the Prime Minister might make Monday a public holiday! (well, one can only hope!)
Yours in racing,
Arganaut
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wilf
- Breeder's Cup Contender
- Posts: 1882
- Joined: Sat Dec 25, 2004 10:50 am
- Location: Ocala, Florida.
Actually it is slightly misleading about the Aussie sprint leanings because there have always been world class stayers in Oz and New Zealand but the shipping to the northern hemisphere gave many would-be travellers reason to stay home. Plus the poor prizemoney on offer in the UK , while the purses in Oz have been excellent for many years. Of the few that did venture north most acquitted themselves admirably , notably Strawberry Road , Balmerino, Leonotis, plus Horlicks and Better Loosen Up in Japan. As a strapper in the halcyon years I handled many horses that would have done well overseas such as Leilani, Ming Dynasty, Hyperno,Belmura Lad, Taj Rossi; the list is endless and of course the mighty Kingston Town and the brilliant ill-fated Dulcify.
TT
Wilf is right but I am just not sure how our stayers would go today on the world stage.
We have had a couple of Aussie-breds in the past meet with international success such as Strawberry Road and Better Loosen Up (Balmerino, Leonotis and Horlicks were bred in NZ) but really our stayers (i.e. 2400m-3200m) have been found wanting in recent times.
We only have to go back to the 2006 Melbourne Cup when the Japanese horses finished 1-2 and gave us a galloping lesson.
Our current sprinters are proving they are world class but it might be a different story for our current Aussie-bred stayers.
It would have been great if Yeats had been able to find his form on his visits to Australia then we might have been able to really line up our current crop including last year's Cup winner, Viewed.
The great news as far as the pursuit of the Melbourne Cup goes is Bart Cummings, the Legend, could possibly have his largest staying team ever in 2009 targeting the Cup. Even Sir Patrick Hogan from New Zealand has sent him a horse with the sole aim of winning the Melbourne Cup!
Go Bart!
We have had a couple of Aussie-breds in the past meet with international success such as Strawberry Road and Better Loosen Up (Balmerino, Leonotis and Horlicks were bred in NZ) but really our stayers (i.e. 2400m-3200m) have been found wanting in recent times.
We only have to go back to the 2006 Melbourne Cup when the Japanese horses finished 1-2 and gave us a galloping lesson.
Our current sprinters are proving they are world class but it might be a different story for our current Aussie-bred stayers.
It would have been great if Yeats had been able to find his form on his visits to Australia then we might have been able to really line up our current crop including last year's Cup winner, Viewed.
The great news as far as the pursuit of the Melbourne Cup goes is Bart Cummings, the Legend, could possibly have his largest staying team ever in 2009 targeting the Cup. Even Sir Patrick Hogan from New Zealand has sent him a horse with the sole aim of winning the Melbourne Cup!
Go Bart!
TT
Field for the Gr 1 Golden Jubilee Stakes (1200m) 12.45am AEST Sunday 21st June
1 Cannonball (USA) W A WARD O PESLIER 2 59
2 Diabolical (USA) S SUROOR L DETTORI 6 59
3 Duff E Lynam K J MANNING 1 59
4 Ialysos L CUMANI W BUICK 5 59
5 Intrepid Jack H MORRISON G BAKER 15 59
6 J J The Jet Plane M DE KOCK K SHEA 9 59
7 Kings's Apostle W HAGGAS L JONES 12 59
8 Kingsgate Native SIR M STOUTE R L MOORE 14 59
9 Regal Parade D NICHOLLS A NICHOLLS 13 59
10 Sacred Kingdom P YIU B PREBBLE 8 59
11 Strike The Deal J NOSEDA P ROBINSON 11 59
12 Takeover Target J JANIAK J FORD 7 59
13 Lesson In Humility K R BURKE A ELLIOTT 10 57.5
14 Art Connoisseur M BELL T QUEALLY 4 56
15 Bushranger D WACHMAN P J SMULLEN 3 56
1 Cannonball (USA) W A WARD O PESLIER 2 59
2 Diabolical (USA) S SUROOR L DETTORI 6 59
3 Duff E Lynam K J MANNING 1 59
4 Ialysos L CUMANI W BUICK 5 59
5 Intrepid Jack H MORRISON G BAKER 15 59
6 J J The Jet Plane M DE KOCK K SHEA 9 59
7 Kings's Apostle W HAGGAS L JONES 12 59
8 Kingsgate Native SIR M STOUTE R L MOORE 14 59
9 Regal Parade D NICHOLLS A NICHOLLS 13 59
10 Sacred Kingdom P YIU B PREBBLE 8 59
11 Strike The Deal J NOSEDA P ROBINSON 11 59
12 Takeover Target J JANIAK J FORD 7 59
13 Lesson In Humility K R BURKE A ELLIOTT 10 57.5
14 Art Connoisseur M BELL T QUEALLY 4 56
15 Bushranger D WACHMAN P J SMULLEN 3 56
Last edited by arganaut2 on Thu Jun 18, 2009 10:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
tt
MEDIA RELEASE
TAKEOVER TARGETS ROYAL ASCOT FOR FOURTH CAMPAIGN
Veteran Australian sprinter Takeover Target can create the ultimate fairytale ending to a remarkable career at Royal Ascot, with a win in the third leg of the US$ 8million Global Sprint Challenge, the Golden Jubilee Stakes (Group 1 1200m) to be run at 12:45am (EST) on Sunday morning.
Purchased for just $1250 and trained by former Queanbeyan taxi-driver Joe Janiak, the champion sprinter has finished fourth, third and second in the last three Golden Jubilees and is out to go one better this year as a nine-year-old, a feat which has not been achieved in the race’s history.
With a total of 21 victories from 40 starts and more than $6million in the bank, Takeover Target is no stranger to the winners’ enclosure both on home soil and overseas, having clocked up wins in England, Japan and Singapore in recent years.
The Global Sprint Challenge is a series he has made his own, with victories in the 2006 Lightning Stakes at Flemington, King’s Stand Stakes at Ascot and Japan’s Sprinters Stakes, not to mention placing in the first four at all of his six runs at Royal Ascot. No horse has been more consistent.
Takeover Target and jockey Jay Ford are up against stiff competition in this year’s £450,000 feature, with Victorian-bred, Hong Kong-based champion Sacred Kingdom (rated 125) and the Mike De-Kock-trained J J The Jetplane (126), heading the pre-race betting market as equal race favourites.
Sold at the 2005 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale by Victoria’s Kornong Stud to top Hong Kong trainer Ricky Yui, Sacred Kingdom has become a household name in South East Asia, winning 12 races from 18 starts. Sacred Kingdom beat Takeover Target by almost eight lengths the last time they met in Singapore’s Group 1 Kris Flyer (1200m) on the 17 May 2009. That was possibly the only time the ultra-consistent star has run a poor race.
Hong Kong’s superstar will be ridden by Victorian born and bred jockey, Brett Prebble, who has steered the Encosta de Lago gelding to victory in his last two starts.
TAKEOVER TARGETS ROYAL ASCOT FOR FOURTH CAMPAIGN
Veteran Australian sprinter Takeover Target can create the ultimate fairytale ending to a remarkable career at Royal Ascot, with a win in the third leg of the US$ 8million Global Sprint Challenge, the Golden Jubilee Stakes (Group 1 1200m) to be run at 12:45am (EST) on Sunday morning.
Purchased for just $1250 and trained by former Queanbeyan taxi-driver Joe Janiak, the champion sprinter has finished fourth, third and second in the last three Golden Jubilees and is out to go one better this year as a nine-year-old, a feat which has not been achieved in the race’s history.
With a total of 21 victories from 40 starts and more than $6million in the bank, Takeover Target is no stranger to the winners’ enclosure both on home soil and overseas, having clocked up wins in England, Japan and Singapore in recent years.
The Global Sprint Challenge is a series he has made his own, with victories in the 2006 Lightning Stakes at Flemington, King’s Stand Stakes at Ascot and Japan’s Sprinters Stakes, not to mention placing in the first four at all of his six runs at Royal Ascot. No horse has been more consistent.
Takeover Target and jockey Jay Ford are up against stiff competition in this year’s £450,000 feature, with Victorian-bred, Hong Kong-based champion Sacred Kingdom (rated 125) and the Mike De-Kock-trained J J The Jetplane (126), heading the pre-race betting market as equal race favourites.
Sold at the 2005 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale by Victoria’s Kornong Stud to top Hong Kong trainer Ricky Yui, Sacred Kingdom has become a household name in South East Asia, winning 12 races from 18 starts. Sacred Kingdom beat Takeover Target by almost eight lengths the last time they met in Singapore’s Group 1 Kris Flyer (1200m) on the 17 May 2009. That was possibly the only time the ultra-consistent star has run a poor race.
Hong Kong’s superstar will be ridden by Victorian born and bred jockey, Brett Prebble, who has steered the Encosta de Lago gelding to victory in his last two starts.
TT
In a shock to the racing world but just another confirmation how much the trainer cares about this horse, trainer Joe Janiak has scratched Takeover Target from the Gr 1 Golden Jubilee Stakes.
Reasons given in the latest press indicate Takeover has an elevated temperature and has been lethargic in his trackwork this week.
"He is not himself, and his temperature is above normal," Janiak told the Racing Post.
"It's a shame he'll not be at Ascot, but we'll wrap him up and prepare him for the July Cup at Newmarket."
Reasons given in the latest press indicate Takeover has an elevated temperature and has been lethargic in his trackwork this week.
"He is not himself, and his temperature is above normal," Janiak told the Racing Post.
"It's a shame he'll not be at Ascot, but we'll wrap him up and prepare him for the July Cup at Newmarket."
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wilf
- Breeder's Cup Contender
- Posts: 1882
- Joined: Sat Dec 25, 2004 10:50 am
- Location: Ocala, Florida.
This is sad news but hardly surprising ! Target raced well in Adelaide but was jetted off to Singapore not long afterwards and was reportedly off his feed but still he took his place in the field and ran poorly for the first time in his life. I must confess that I was taken aback when they pressed on to Ascot given the fact that Target is now 10 years old ,however I look stupid questioning the connections of a horse bought for a song who has now won 6 million. My guess is that Target will be handled conservatively and probably won't make the July Cup either. I just hope that the old boy regains his health to be strong enough to handle the trip back home.
TT
The Golden Jubilee was run and won overnight and it was the Irish bred three-year-old colt Art Connoisseur (Lucky Story (USA) - Withorwithoutyou (IRE) by Danehill (USA)) who held off the valiant USA four-year-old gelding Cannonball (Catienus (USA) - No Deadline (USA) by Skywalker (USA)) with four-year-old Irish bred mare Lesson In Humility (Mujadil (USA) - Vanity (IRE) by Thatching (UK)), third.
The Aussie-bred six-year-old gelding Sacred Kingdom (Encosta De Lago (AUS) - Courtroom Sweetie (AUS) by Zeditave (AUS) was fifth.
The Aussie-bred six-year-old gelding Sacred Kingdom (Encosta De Lago (AUS) - Courtroom Sweetie (AUS) by Zeditave (AUS) was fifth.
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erins isle
- Grade III Winner
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- Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 6:26 am
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I'm thinking of having an Anti-post bet on Scenic Blast to win & J J the Jet Plane each way.
Timeform.
Scenic Blast 141..........2/1
Sacred Kingdom 140.......n/r
J J the Jet Plane 139.........14/1
Takeover Target 138........14/1
Any thoughts?
Timeform.
Scenic Blast 141..........2/1
Sacred Kingdom 140.......n/r
J J the Jet Plane 139.........14/1
Takeover Target 138........14/1
Any thoughts?
I woke up this mornin' with one thin dime, The stats man gets there before the clock strikes nine.
TT
My only advice Taff is the July Cup is run on one of the toughest 1200m courses in the world at Newmarket.
It is described by the Global Sprint Challenge website as - "The six furlong (1,200 metres) course is entirely straight with some undulations and an uphill climb in the final furlong to the winning post."
It is more like a 1400m+ race.
That final climb is like "heartbreak hill" - and that is when the track is good and not wet.
It is described by the Global Sprint Challenge website as - "The six furlong (1,200 metres) course is entirely straight with some undulations and an uphill climb in the final furlong to the winning post."
It is more like a 1400m+ race.
That final climb is like "heartbreak hill" - and that is when the track is good and not wet.
TT
12.10am AEST Saturday 11 July Takeover Target and Scenic Blast will clash in the Gr 1 July Cup.
Scenic Blast is a short priced favorite while Joe Janiak has said Takeover is over the virus which led to him being scratched from the Gr 1 Golden Jubilee.
It will be a great race over a very demanding 1200m course.
Scenic Blast is a short priced favorite while Joe Janiak has said Takeover is over the virus which led to him being scratched from the Gr 1 Golden Jubilee.
It will be a great race over a very demanding 1200m course.