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From the Racing Post


AUSTRALIANS couldn't give a XXXX for anything else but Royal Ascot on Tuesday as they took the wraps off the awesome foursome with whom they hope to be toasting yet more success in the meeting's top sprints.

Connections were fizzing with anticipation after Takeover Target, Bentley Biscuit, Magnus and mare Miss Andretti showcased their talents in individual gallops at Newmarket.

Pictured above at Newmarket on Tuesday are, from left, trainers Lee Freedman (Miss Andretti), Joe Janiak (Takeover Target), Gai Waterhouse (Bentley Biscut) and Peter Moody (Magnus).

Takeover Target – bidding to repeat last year's King's Stand triumph – Magnus and Miss Andretti worked on the Limekilns, and Bentley Biscuit on the July course, as they prepared for next week's challenge, in which they will attempt to emulate the pioneering Australian raider Choisir, who won both the King's Stand Stakes and Golden Jubilee Stakes four years ago.

Each of the four has at least one Group 1 victoryto their name and such is the dominance in the betting of Miss Andretti, Bentley Biscuit and Takeover Target that they are just even money to win the King's Stand Stakes with William Hill and 11-8 with Stan James and Totesport for the Golden Jubilee.

Ominously for the home team, Joe Janiak, trainer of last season's global sprint challenge champion Takeover Target, described his star as “a lot better this year than he was last year”.

He said: “I think as he has got older he has lost a bit of his early speed. I think the six-furlong Golden Jubilee is going to suit him better than the five of the King Stand's Stakes this year.

“He will be nice and fresh for Tuesday and that should top him up for the six-furlong race.”

Takeover Target, whose Racing Post Rating of 136 is the best of any King's Stand entry, heads the market at 5-1 along with Miss Andretti, with William Hill and Coral.

Miss Andretti has secured three outstanding wins in 2007, including two legs of the global sprint challenge.

Her trainer Lee Freedman, who saddled Falkirk to finish fourth in last year's Kings Stand, said: “She's a significantly better horse than Falkirk. She is a 119-rated horse at home while he was 109.

“She is a very good mare - particularly when fresh - and has won all her starts first up from breaks.

“She will probably sit off them and she is always very strong in the last furlong. The only horse we have not met since I have had her is Takeover Target and he's the one I worry about, because I just don't know how she will measure up against him. He has been here, done it, is very hard to see off and a brave horse.

“Miss Andretti has shown Group 1 ability since we had her - the trend is still going upwards. “I want her to run in the King's Stand Stakes over five furlongs because it will suit her. I think she has a better chance in that than in the six-furlong Golden Jubilee. She's used to climbing a gradient in her work.”

Trainer Gai Waterhouse - known as the First Lady of Australian Racing - is a regular visitor to Royal Ascot, but is excited by the challenge of saddling her first runner at the meeting in Bentley Biscuit, who is vying for favouritism with Miss Andretti in the Golden Jubilee.

She said: “Ascot is probably the premier meeting in the world, I don't know where else you'd find a better track now it has been done up.

“But it's expensive to travel and you're not just going to come over for the sake of it, you've got to have the right horse.

“I was delighted with Bentley Biscuit's work this morning, I wanted him to fold into it over six furlongs, going faster over each furlong.

“Takeover Target had beaten the best horses here last year and then we beat him on our last run. Takeover Target then went on to beat Gold Edition, the best filly we've seen since Sunline.

“Miss Andretti has shown brilliant speed at home and is the best we have, Takeover Target is proven at Ascot and Magnus beat us in the Galaxy but we also have the local horses and jockeys, who have the home advantage, to think about.

“I think the Golden Jubilee trip of six furlongs will suit mine better and if he pulls up well after Tuesday's race he'll be back on Saturday - but, if he's not going to be competitive, I won't run him.

“We'll take each race as it comes and if he continues running well we'll be at Newmarket for the Darley July Cup.

“He's a very competitive animal and hates to be beaten – he's a real cool dude.”

Caulfield-based Peter Moody, paying his first visit to Britain, hopes that the five-year-old Magnus will enhance his stud value with a good performance at Ascot.

“The horse's long-term value is really why we're here,” he said.

“He's been offered places at stud in Australia, but he would be worth far more if he won at Ascot.

“There's nothing definite about which races we go for and we could even go home after Tuesday if we thought we were hurting his value by continuing to run him here.

“There are a lot of variables and if he wins one and someone comes calling, then they can have him.”

What will the Aussies win?
William Hill: 10-11 An Australian-trained horse to win one of either the King's Stand/Golden Jubilee, 13-8 All Australian runners to be beaten in both races, 4-1 Any Australian-trained runners to win both races