Even then beneath that Janiak had a touch of class, to the point Queen Elizabeth invited him to lunch with her at Windsor Palace when Janiak took Takeover Target to Royal Ascot for the third year. He was also invited to be part of the Royal procession preceding the start of the races.
Takeover Target returned in 2006 to finish second in the King's Stand and became a popular identity after a second, a third and a fourth in the Golden Jubilee Stakes.
Takeover Target has a plush bar at Royal Ascot named in his honour.
Yes, Intransigent has become the Orora Kiwi Packaging Kiwifruit Cup champion winning the race three times in a row. And, no, the title wasn't voted by the public.
The rising 9-year-old would be more likely to win "Punters' Headache".
Intransigent might be a Tauranga specialist, but his form elsewhere is ordinary.
His lead-up form to Saturday's victory was: last of 8 at Ellerslie, 8th at Hastings, 11th in the Rotorua Cup, 4th at Trentham, 6th (15.8 lengths away) at Awapuni.
Thank God for Tauranga.
Sorry about this Kirsti Lawrence, who trains the gelding. She will not be happy with this column, but the lead-up to last year's win in the race was: 2nd last, last, 1st, 10th, last, 5th, 6th, 5th, 12th, 2nd, 9th, 6th, 4th, 12th.
The public loves horses that are always in the money ... Takeover Target for example.
You have to admire the dedication of winning rider on Saturday, Kane Smith. Despite Intransigent's form, Smith stayed with him and wasted hard to make the 53kg weight. Smith gets few real opportunities these days and that win meant a lot.
Interesting concept when Eletist won the 3-year-old race at Tauranga.
Watch a lot of the good-class races in Melbourne and Sydney and three-wide with cover is a favourite spot with many top Australian jockeys.
Having cover is the key.
Apprentice Brendan Hutton chose that spot for Eletist on Saturday and it won the race.
Australian jockeys will tell you that sitting in the one-one - one place back off the lead, one-horse width off the rail - is ideal if there is not a line of horses on your outer.
If there is, and that's often, you have to wait to make your final sprint, until the horses on the outer make their runs. Sit three wide with cover, you "go" when it suits you.
Eletist went at Hutton's leisure and was too strong.
Cambridge trainer Lee Somervell had a great 25 minutes late on Saturday.
Kentucky Son won the last at Tauranga under Ulrika Holmquist and before a celebratory drink could be consumed, Addictive Habit finally brought his Queensland campaign into focus with victory in the A$100,000 quality handicap on the Gold Coast track.
Kentucky Son has the talent to go a fair bit further.
Queens Rose and trainer Graham Richardson deserved the win in the $50,000 Wealleans Tauranga Classic.
Unsuitable tracks (slight apology to Intransigent) have undermined her overall form, but she was gritty enough to battle through sticky footing to finish second at Ellerslie at her previous start when she could easily have dropped out.
She is a good-quality mare and her wet track form is now nine starts for six wins. That's impressive and you can't argue with her trainer's assessment: "She deserved that."
End of fairy tale
•Australian sprinter Takeover Target had to be destroyed on Saturday after a paddock accident.
•Intransigent is hardly the punters' pin-up boy with his win at Gate Pa.
•Queens Rose scores deserved success in the Tauranga Classic.
