DAVID THISELTON
THE Paul Matchett-trained War Of Athena laid claim to being the best three-year-old in the country on Saturday when downing her arch rival, the previously unbeaten Stuart Pettigrew-trained Anything Goes, by 1,75 lengths under Muzi Yeni in the Grade 3 Three Troikas Stakes over 1400m at Turffontein Standside.
Later, the Paul Peter-trained Dingaans winner Catch Twentytwo made a similar claim when winning the Grade 3 Tony Ruffel Stakes over the same course and distance under Gavin Lerena.
War Of Athena had been beaten twice before by Anything Goes. The latter ran as if she needed the run yesterday after a three month layoff and she also had to give War Of Athena 1kg. Furthermore her saddle slipped back in the running.
The pair’s rivalry will be one of the features of the season and their next clash will likely be in the Grade 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas on February 6.
However, of the pair, War Of Athena looks more likely on pedigree and running style to handle the step up to the 1800m of the Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic.
War Of Athena, who was bred by Summerhill Stud and is by Act Of War out of Requiem maiden Qaphela, cost a mere R30,000 but has it all as a racehorse. She has good gatespeed and early pace and can be switched off in the running. At the business end she possesses an electrifying turn of foot and has a heart as big as the great outdoors. Lastly, she is sound and consistent. Saturday’s race was her eleventh career start and her fifth victory. She has not been out of the first two this season and her only run out of the first three was on debut when fifth.
The feeling last season was that the two-year-old fillies were superior to the colts and geldings and it was proven on Saturday when the filly that won the Grade 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes against the boys, Sentbydestiny, was beaten six lengths by War Of Athena despite receiving 3kg.
This season the male three-year-olds made an early impact and there were predictions of it being a special crop. However, they begun fluffing their lines in the Dingaans when the previously unbeaten Grade 2 Hawaii Stakes winner Mount Pleasant ran unplaced. The Grade 1 Cape Guineas then produced a 100/1 shock winner in Russian Rock, who had won only one of his previous four career starts.
However, among the fillies there is no doubting the class of Anything Goes and War Of Athena, whose form has also been franked by Princess Calla down in Cape Town. The latter, beaten 3,30 lengths and three lengths respectively by Anything Goes and War Of Athena in the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes over 1600m last season, won the Grade 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship over 1400m and then finished a 2,25 length second in the Grade 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guines to the smart Captain’s Ransom.
Catch Twentytwo is one of the male sophomores’ who could still save his crop’s dwindling reputation as this rangy Narrow Creek Stud-bred Elusive Fort gelding proved he is progressive when beating stablemate MK’S Pride by half-a-length at level weights. The interesting formline here is MK’S Pride’s short-head victory over War Of Athena in the Peermont Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup over 1400m in which the latter received a 2.5kg female allowance, although it has to be said that not much went right for the filly in that race.
The other interesting formline from the Tony Ruffel is Copper Mountain being beaten two lengths into third at level weights. Copper Mountain was an easy winner in the only defeat to date suffered by the promising Second Base and later he gave another promising sort in Paisley Park 4.5kg when losing by just half-a-length.
Catch Twentytwo and War Of Athena were both rated 116 going into yesterday’s respective races, but the latter beat the 120 rated Anything Goes whereas the former’s runner up MK’S Pride was rated only 112.
Mount Pleasant remains the highest rated three-year-old on 127 based on his cosy victory over the top class older pair Cirillo and Chimichuri Run in the Hawaai.
The other feature on Saturday’s card was the London News Stakes over 1800m and it saw Muzi Yeni converting a Grade 3 double on the Fanie Bronkhorst owned-and-trained Running Brave. She began over-racing a touch when not getting to the front from a wide draw but Zillzaal did her a favour by setting a good pace. This allowed Yeni to skilfully ease past Chijmes and slot in behind Zillzaal. Running Brave showed just how courageous she is when taking the lead at the 500m mark and fending off the classy ExpressFromTheUS to win by three-quarters-of-a-length. However, she was well in at the weights with most and ran at level weights with the runner-up, to whom she would have had to give 3kg in a handicap. Running Brave, a Summerhill Stud-bred five-year-old mare by Brave Tin Soldier, has now won eight times and this was her third Graded victory. She has substance and can go on to win more features. A Grade 1 win this season would not be completely out of the question either.
