Takeover Target on three days' rest

Fresh off a head victory Tuesday in the five-furlong King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot, Australian raider Takeover Target will be wheeled right back Saturday in the Group 1, $647,000 Golden Jubilee Stakes.

Joe Janiak, the owner and trainer of Takeover Target, said he has no qualms about trying Takeover Target on three days' rest. Noting that it is the Southern Hemisphere equivalent of December in Australia now, Janiak was upbeat about Takeover Target's chances.

"He still has his winter coat and was a bit on the big side for the King's Stand," he said. "He should be right for Saturday now."

Jay Ford, who gave Takeover Traget a perfect ride Tuesday, will again be on board. A victory would give Australia its second King's Stand/Golden Jubilee double. Choisir pulled it off in 2003.

Takeover Target is a Group 1 winner at six furlongs, so the extra furlong should not be a problem. In fact, the biggest problem he may have is beating another Aussie invader, Glamour Puss. She finished seventh, just a length behind Takeover Target, in the King's Stand and is probably better over six furlongs.

Few of the 16 others in the field have the credentials for an upset, although one must note Iffraj, who won last year's six-furlong Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot; Fayr Jag, who won the 2004 Golden Jubilee; and The Tatling.

The Group 2, $260,000 Hardwicke Stakes, a 1 1/2-mile race for older horses, may feature the return of Shawanda, the Sinndar filly who won the Irish Oaks and the Prix Vermeille last year when she was owned by the Aga Khan. She is now owned by Godolphin. Saeed bin Suroor said he will wait until Friday before making a decision on the Hardwicke, a race whose distance should suit Shawanda perfectly. If Godolphin has her ready, she should take the measure of Irish St. Leger winner and Dubai Sheema Classic runner-up Collier Hill.