IT WILL hurt many a whinging Pom to admit it but Aussie rules, OK! Takeover Target, the £500 bargain buy trained by part-time taxi driver Joe Janiak, yesterday edged his career earnings a step closer the £1 million mark with victory in the King's Stand Stakes on the opening afternoon of Royal Ascot.
In a race not short of either thrills or spills, the raider from Down Under just held on by a short-head to beat Benbaun with Pivotal Point back in third, but as the two principals flashed past the post, there was further drama unfolding behind them.
With the 28-strong field hurtling towards the furlong marker, Tabaret fell and brought down Jim Goldie's Orientor but although it looked nasty, both the horses and jockeys involved, Chris Catlin and Dean McKeown, appeared to escape relatively unscathed, although the latter was stood down for the rest of the card and taken to hospital for precautionary X-rays.
The Jay Ford-ridden Takeover Target may now bid to match the exploits of his countryman Choisir, who three years ago landed the King's Stand and then went on to take the Golden Jubilee Stakes four days later.
There was also a dramatic conclusion to the Queen Anne, which went to Kieren Fallon and Ad Valorem, but only after a stewards' enquiry into the interference that took place between the winner, second-placed Court Masterpiece and eventual fourth Peeress in the dying stages.
While the placings remained unaltered, Fallon was given a four-day ban that will keep him out of the Irish Derby on 2 July, albeit he can apply to have the ban rescheduled to another date.
"I think there's no doubt the best horse won," said Ad Valorem's trainer Aidan O'Brien, a view not shared by the runner-up's handler Ed Dunlop.
"Jamie (Spencer) is very angry. He said he got murdered otherwise he would have won."
In the St James's Palace, Araafa turned in arguably the performance of the day as he strolled to success to justify favouritism, but Scots jockey Ian Mongan was public enemy No 1 as far as punters were concerned when he and 33-1 shot Baddam got the better of the well-backed jolly Top The Charts in the marathon Ascot Stakes.
A third on Proclamation behind Ad Valorem was the nearest Frankie Dettori came to breaking his duck but he could fare much better today aboard Electrocutionist and La Mottie.
The latter sprang a double carpet shock when scoring at Windsor last time out but there didn't seem to be any fluke about it, and Jeremy Noseda's filly is napped in the finale.
As more than 30,000 bottles of the stuff are downed at the Royal meeting every day, Hamilton racegoers may struggle to get through quite as much bubbly as that today, but the good people of Lanarkshire can always wallow in their own Ocean Of Champagne. Alan Dickman's youngster shaped well on her Redcar debut, and that experience might just help her to see off Mark Johnston's first-timer Hinton Admiral.
It's now almost three years since Ellens Academy last won. Last June, however, he was second at Newcastle off a rating of 84 and today he runs off 69, so the handicapper is clearly trying to help him end that barren spell.
Eric Alston's gelding at least knows what it feels like to win, which is more than Caymans Gift does. Alistair Whillans' charge has had 21 attempts at getting his head in front but he has run well recently and can savour success in the lucky last.
