A number of in-form fillies and mares are carded to clash in the Listed War Of Athena Handicap over 1800m on the Standside track on Saturday 30 December and that will not make life easy for form studiers.
Two of the runners have won their last three starts and represent the top weight and the bottom weight.
Perfect Witness is a seven-time winner and last time out completed a hat-trick of wins in the Betway Summer Cup Consolation over 2000m at Turffontein where she beat a group of colts and geldings.
This Candice Dawson-trained mare proved the argument that while a horse may lose its form, it does not lose its ability. She started her career well but then went off the rails for a few months before finding her feet again in June.
Since then, she has raced seven times for five wins so goes into this race at the top of her game and could be the runner to beat, despite having to carry 60.5kg.
Gavin Lerena takes the ride.
At the other end of the scale is Witblits who is carded to carry bottom weight of 52kg and even then comes in 2.5kg under sufferance.
She has done nothing wrong since joining Tony Peter’s yard in September and is unbeaten in her three starts for the yard.
Her last two wins were over this course and distance and she seems to be winning by wider margins with each run.
With Calvin Habib in the irons she will also have to put up 0.5kg overweight which, in fact, puts her at a 3kg disadvantage with her opposition. However, Peter is quite happy to race her under these conditions which gives one the impression he feels she is substantially better than her current merit rating.
The problem both Perfect Witness and Witblits both face is that they are drawn Nos 13 and 14 respectively although if you are going to land a wide draw Turffontein 1800m on the Standside track is one of the better places to do so as there is still enough of a back straight to get well positioned and then around an 800m run-in if one needs to make up the ground.
There are a number of other runners with chances, but the next best pair appear to be Tulip Tree and Let’s Go Now.
Stuart Pettigrew-trained Tulip Tree seldom runs a bad race and is a four-time winner who has only once finished out of the placings. In addition, she has won both her starts over 1800m.
However, she is undoubtedly a better runner on the Inside track where she has won all four of her races. Like the other pair, she too has drawn wide at No 12.
Let’s Go Now is a full sister to multiple Grade 1 winner and placed Bless My Stars and is also trained by Sean Tarry. She is a two-time winner from seven starts, both over 1600m but based on the performances of her sister she will benefit from the extra distance this time.
She will carry just 52kg and will be ridden by Philasande Mxoli for the first time.
