Golden Dream On Target

Australian ace Takeover Target is a 5-2 chance with Totesport to emulate the 2003 heroics of compatriot Choisir and win the two big Group sprints at Royal Ascot.

The once cast-off gelding grabbed a narrow victory in a dramatic King's Stand Stakes and will now go for the double in the Golden Jubilee Stakes at the weekend.

Joe Janiak paid just £500 for the son of Celtic Swing and he will go into racing folklore thanks to an ultra-gutsy performance in the five-furlong contest.

But it was a close run thing for the 7-1 chance, winning by a short head from Benbaun, with Pivotal Point half a length away third and Irish-trained Dandy Man and another Australian raider, Falkirk, dead-heating for fourth.

Janiak and jockey Jay Ford gambled on bringing the horse over to the stands side from his 17 draw and it paid off as Takeover Target battled on bravely to complete the former taxi driver's rags to riches story.

'It's a big dream come true for me but I wasn't sure if he had got it on the line,' Janiak said.

'I thought we were going to have trouble with the barrier draw. Jay and I walked the track and we were a bit unsure which side to go on but it's paid off for Jay. He's ridden the perfect race.

'The horse was probably a bit underdone. He was a bit on the big side and I think there's some more improvement in him.'

There was drama about a furlong out when Tabaret, ridden by Dean McKeown, fell and brought down Chris Catlin's mount Orientor, with the former subsequently being stood down for the day.

As for the winner, after a second run at Royal Ascot he will remain at Geoff Wragg's Newmarket yard to be prepared for the Darley July Cup, a race which just proved beyond Choisir.

Hellvelyn gave the North a flying start to the five-day feast by maintaining his unbeaten record in the Coventry Stakes.

Described beforehand by his Thirsk trainer Bryan Smart as his best ever two-year-old, Hellvelyn, the 4-1 joint-favourite, duly put his rivals to the sword.

Never far off the pace set by Prince Golan and Major Cadeaux, Hellvelyn led with just under two furlongs to go.

Although Major Cadeaux made a fight of it, Hellvelyn was too strong and won by three-quarters of a length, with Tariq staying on well in the centre of the course to finish a length away in third.

Smart said: 'He's probably going to have a little break now. He's going to grow so I'm going to give him time to level off.

'He'll probably go for the Gimcrack and then the decent races in the autumn. I just think he's very good.

'I think he'll stay. When he won at Pontefract, Ted (Durcan) said he'd get seven furlongs now.'

Smart paid 100,000 guineas for the colt at the Doncaster Sales on behalf of Sheikh Rashid Bin Mohammed.

Bookmakers disagree on Hellvelyn's prospects of staying a mile in the Stan James 2000 Guineas. The sponsors make him 10-1 favourite but William Hill and totesport go 33s.

Baddam ran away from the opposition in the closing stages to turn the gruelling two and a half miles of the Ascot Stakes into a procession.

Once Ian Mongan asked his mount to show his superior speed and stamina this 29-runner marathon handicap was as good as over.

The 33-1 shot, trained by Mick Channon, galloped on resolutely to win by five lengths from Top The Charts, with Shamayoun a head away third and Full House fourth.

Elhamri, 20-1, gave Upper Lambourn trainer Sylvester Kirk his first Royal Ascot triumph in the Windsor Castle Stakes.

However, the youngster had to be driven out by Declan McDonogh to hold Conquest by a neck, with The Old Fella third.

? PA Sport