War of Athena ready for a date with destiny

When Jack Landile goes to his filly’s stable at 5am, to say good morning and give her a spot of breakfast, she won’t know this day is any different from most others at Randjesfontein.

She’ll be blissfully unaware she’s the hottest ticket in town, with millions of rands riding on her later in the day; thousands of excited horse racing fans alert to her every move.

The filly, War Of Athena, is 33-10 favourite for the Gauteng Summer Cup, the highveld’s premier race, to be run for a prize of R2 million over 2 000m at Turffontein on Saturday.

When War Of Athena has finished munching her carefully measured serving of oats, groom Landile will take her
for a walk around the training centre north of Joburg.

It’ll dawn on her that this is no ordinary training day. No training gallop means it’s time for the real thing. War Of
Athena has been to the races 17 times before; she’ll know what’s up – though she won’t know it’s the biggest moment in her career so far.

Not that it would matter to the queen of cool.

ALSO READ: Will War of Athena bring Muzi Yeni his first win?

“She never gets excited and wound up. Nothing worries her,” says her trainer, Paul Matchett, a 30-something-year veteran of the turf who has never handled a better horse.

“Her amazing temperament is the secret to her success,” says Matchett.

“She stays calm and looks after herself in races. She doesn’t expend unnecessary energy and just waits for the jockey’s instructions. Then she goes…”

Regular jockey Muzi Yeni has been aboard for seven of her 10 victories and knows when to press the button to start
the War Of Athena powertrain.

Hugely popular Yeni often makes the early morning trip to Randjesfontein to ride her in “fast work”, while Landile, an
experienced work rider, is her close companion for the rest of the time.

Matchett reckons Landile is either lucky, or a good judge of a horse, as he picks out stable stars to look after with
uncommon regularity.

He’s been with War Of Athena “from day 1”, when she came to the yard after being bought for a paltry R30 000 on a
Ready To Run Sale by owners Roy Wentzel and his wife Dr Rose Waterman-Wentzel. (She is the latest example of cheapness and unfashionable breeding – by formerly unflashy sire Act Of War – being no hindrance to racing glory.)

After her morning stroll and Landile returns her to her box, War Of Athena will probably have a lie-down – uncommon behaviour but maybe a sign of high intelligence and appreciation of the need to conserve energy.

Then, she’ll climb into the horse box, calm as you please, and make the hop down the highway to a date with destiny.

Matchett says War Of Athena is in “tip-top shape” for the Summer Cup. Her readiness is the talk of the racing world
and she has been backed in from third favouritism – behind Malmoos and Got The Greenlight and odds of 6-1 – a fortnight ago to outright favouritism at 33-10 and falling.

ALSO READ: Summer Cup: Meet all the runners

One small doubt is that she did not face male competition in her relentless winning run over more than a year. But Matchett is not bothered; his girl has the “class” to see off the boys.

Three girls have won the Summer Cup in the past 12 years: Flirtation, Dancewiththedevil and Summer Pudding.

The big event – race 8 and one of five features on a 10-race card – is off at 4.35pm.

The purse has been boosted to pre-Covid levels, thanks to sponsorship by World Sports Betting.

A small crowd will be allowed at Turffontein, with limited racecourse attendance for vaccinated people getting the
green light. Last year, Summer Pudding raced to victory in front of empty grandstands.

A R12 million pool is predicted for today’s Pick 6.

– news@citizen.co.za