Paddock Accident Claims Life Of Australian Star Takeover Target
Takeover Target, an Australian gelding who went on to win millions in purses and stakes races in several countries, was euthanized Saturday morning after injuring himself in a paddock accident overnight.
"He was a fairytale horse and I don't think there will be a story like him every again. He got me around the world," said owner Joe Janiak, as quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald. "But he didn't just give me joy, he was loved by a lot of people. I think punters loved him because he would more often than not win, and everywhere you go with him people wanted photos and to tell you their stories about him."
Purchased for just $1,375 by Janiak as an unraced 3-year-old, Takeover Target went on to many victories in his native Australia before taking graded stakes races in Japan, Singapore, and at Royal Ascot.
"He gave me a lot of joy and just to know I won't be able to see him again is sad," said Jay Ford, who rode Takeover Target in the majority of his starts. "He took me to places I never thought I would go."
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Read more at the Sydney Morning Herald
