You'd want to hope the film producers don't make the classic mistake with a movie about Takeover Target some of them made with Sea Biscuit.
The Sea Biscuit story was a classic, essentially because it was true and had some magnificent, hard-bitten characters.
Hollywood got hold of it and turned
the hard-bitten into Disney characters and the movie Sea Biscuit was so limp-wristed, despite some critical acclaim, that it bore no resemblance to the actual tale of more than half a century ago.
You can just see how they will angle the storyline on Takeover Target, the ugly duckling of Australian racing that conquered the world of sprint racing.
They're trying to get Russell Crowe to play the part of Joe Janiak.
The box office boys will be playing heavily on the storyline that Janiak fell out of his Canberra taxi one morning and stumbled upon Takeover Target - the horse no one wanted.
Yes, Janiak did moonlight as a cabbie for a while, but if you believe he suddenly swapped a steering wheel for a stopwatch and won millions with an unlikely horse in the toughest racing precincts in the world, you'll be waiting on your lounge floor for Santa to come down the chimney later this year.
Ask anyone who has dealt professionally with Janiak and get them to tell you the stories about what Janiak has requested and what he's observed about travelling Takeover Target internationally, probably the toughest thing to achieve with a thoroughbred.
The first year Janiak took Takeover Target to England he requested a scenario for the horse's care that even outstanding trainers like Lee Freedman didn't come up with.
The jovial Janiak didn't learn all about that from a textbook or from earning a $20 cab fare from the Canberra RSL to the racecourse.
Winning group ones in England and Japan is not easy.
If it was, we'd all be doing it.
Joe Janiak is an outstanding horseman, he didn't just happen into his millions.
But it's a million dollars to a bottle top when the movie comes out we'll be told he did.
* * *
Ten-year-olds at this time of year are competing exclusively in jumping races.
My Lips Ar Sealed proved the stereotype all wrong when he won the open 1200m at Ellerslie on Saturday.
The veteran is described by trainer Graham Richardson as "sound as a bell" and "a delight to work with".
Richardson knew there was a win close at hand with the veteran of 43 starts, although for the time he's been racing, he's actually been lightly tried.
So against his original thoughts, the Matamata trainer went for an apprentice claim, despite My Lips Ar Sealed, on 54.5kg, already getting a decent weight concession from the favourites like Pindy on 58kg.
The 2kg Jason Collett ripped off My Lips Ar Sealed's back virtually guaranteed the victory.
"I thought Jason rode him beautifully - he did everything I asked," said Richardson.
"I told him to dig him out of the gates as hard as he could so the others knew he was serious about leading and wouldn't take him on.
"Then I told him to cut the corner, which he did perfectly."
Pindy's 58kg proved too much against the 52.5kg, but he fought bravely.
"He'll go to Te Awamutu next start then I might run him in the Foxbridge Plate - why not if the track's heavy?" said Richardson.
* * *
Mark Oulaghan had a niggling doubt The Jolly Dancer might not be quite fit enough for Saturday's Manawatu Steeples and he was right.
The Jolly Dancer raced just a touch too keenly under Tommy Hazlett and he paid the price for that when No Rush'n tackled him in the final 350m.
It should be a different story next time.
* * *
They might be tough blokes, but there was a lot of sentiment between fellow owners and great mates Johnny Frizzell and Ron Williamson after they won Saturday's Manawatu Hurdles with Birchwood Run.
Frizzell and Williamson were high-profile equestrian riders in the 1960s.
Williamson went a little further because Frizzell lost a leg in a riding accident. That's never stopped the Hawkes Bay farmer, who does a mean party trick haka, throwing the artificial leg over one shoulder.
Frizzell was president of the Waipukurau Jockey Club for nine years and Williamson was at the helm of the Kurow Jockey Club for 19 years.
* * *
What a horse Mazzacano is - they should make a movie about him one day. Perhaps they will.
Two years without a race, stem cell implants to fix badly damaged legs and he still outguns them in the A$100,000 Australian Steeplechase on Saturday.
What a horse. And what a training feat by Robbie Laing.
You'd want to hope the film producers don't make the classic mistake with a movie about Takeover Target some of them made with Sea Biscuit.
The Sea Biscuit story was a classic, essentially because it was true and had some magnificent, hard-bitten characters.
Hollywood got hold of it and turned
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