Madonna Music

Britney Spears, left, and Madonna kiss during the opening performance of the MTV Video Music Awards at New York's Radio City Music Hall Thursday, Aug. 28, 2003.

Kavanagh ups stakes for Divine Madonna

MARK Kavanagh, fresh from a stellar Melbourne spring carnival, has turned his sights to Royal Ascot next year with outstanding miler Divine Madonna.
Kavanagh, who trained four Group 1 winners over the spring, yesterday revealed an ambition to run Divine Madonna in the Group 1 $585,000 Queen Anne Stakes.
"We will have a meeting in January and we will know more then," he told Sport 927.
Kavanagh is negotiating with Royal Ascot international scout Nick Smith for an invitation to run in the Queen Anne, run on the first day of the Royal Ascot carnival on June 17 over the straight mile.
Kavanagh had his appetite for Royal Ascot whetted when his friend, fellow trainer Danny O'Brien, ran Glamour Puss at Royal Ascot last year.
"Divine Madonna has four Group 1 wins here, would she be worth any more if she won six Group 1s here? I doubt it," Kavanagh said.
"It is inevitable she will be sold. There are nine owners and they are racers. We owe it to her to give her the best chance at stud. We don't want to die wondering."
Divine Madonna is being prepared for Sydney's autumn carnival. Stablemate Maldivian is back in work with a first-up run in the Carlyon Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on January 25 pencilled in.
THE MIKE Moroney-trained Group 1 winning sprinter-miler and potential stallion, Jokers Wild, is still battling for his life after a blood infection following bone chip surgery on a knee three months ago.TAKEOVER Target can concede 4kg and still beat Dance Hero at Randwick next Saturday, according leading rails bookmaker Colin Tidy.
The two outstanding sprinters are set to again thrill racegoers in the $100,000 Razor Sharp Quality (1200m). Three weeks ago, champion Takeover Target carried 61kg to a magnificent long-head win over Dance Hero, who had 58kg, when the pair met over the same course and distance.
It is expected the Racing NSW handicapping panel will today allocate Takeover Target maximum top weight of 61kg for the Razor Sharp, but lessen Dance Hero's burden with either 57kg or 57.5kg.
"Takeover Target is a natural-born winner and I don't think it makes any difference if the handicapper gave Dance Hero 1kg less this time, the result will still be the same," Tidy said yesterday."Takeover Target reminds me of a lot of how Manikato used to win his races. Manikato never used to win by big margins but he would just keep winning. Takeover Target is similar because he seems to find a way to win."
Racing NSW handicapper Greg Pearson yesterday hinted there would be a weight "turnaround of between 0.5kg and 1kg" in Dance Hero's favour for the Razor Sharp.
The other four entries - Alverta, Beauty Watch, King Rex and Uber - are expected to receive the limit of 53kg.