Last season, trainer Paul Matchett was in charge of the best three-year-old filly in the country. War Of Athena not only won the Triple Tiara, but recorded six consecutive Grade 1, 2, and 3 victories as a three-year-old.
This season, Matchett’s string of three-year-old fillies don’t seem to be at quite the same level, as testament by the fact that he does not saddle a runner in the Gauteng Fillies Guineas, the first leg of the Triple Tiara series.
Look Yourself, one of his better three-year-old fillies, will however be in action on Thursday 10 February at the Vaal where she will contest a MR 96 Handicap for three-year-olds over 1400m.
Look Yourself, a daughter of Gimmethegreenlight, has not finished outside the quartet in nine career runs, and has scored two wins in the process.
While Kabelo Matsunyane has ridden her in all her career starts to date, he now makes way for Muzi Yeni, who partnered War Of Athena to greatness and beyond. Perhaps the trainer is hoping that the charismatic Yeni will inspire this filly to greater heights.
As a juvenile, Look Yourself was beaten just half a length by Sean Tarry’s Rain in Holland. That meeting was the second career run for both of them. Rain In Holland went on to win four more times, including taking the honours in the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes over 1600m on Gold Cup Day at Greyville.
Perhaps Look Yourself is just developing at a slower tempo. With this being her third run after a rest, it should give her the perfect opportunity to score that first win as a three-year-old and give her the confidence she really should be oozing – judged both on results and pedigree.
The rest of the field should be fighting it out for the places.
Durban boy Noble Sniper is making his Highveld debut after moving to Paul Peter’s yard and is therefore a bit of an unknown while stable companion Freedom Of Choice comes off a four-month break and may just need the run.
Noble Striker is another with talent, but perhaps not quite as good as his Merit Rating suggests. He will probably find the top weight in this field a burden slightly too heavy.
Clive Robinson
