Racing Express, Thursday 10 February 2022: Looking to beat the boys

Last season, trainer Paul Matchett was in charge of the best three-year[1]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.

Get all your horse racing news and information for Thursday, 10 February 2022, as found in Racing Express, by clicking here.

This season, Matchett’s string of three-year-old fillies does not seem to be at quite the same level, as testament by the fact that he did 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, however, will be in action today 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 first four in nine career runs, and has scored two wins in the process.

While Kabelo Matsunyane has ridden her in all her starts so far, he now makes way for Muzi Yeni. As a juvenile, Look Yourself was beaten just 0.50 lengths by Sean Tarry-trained Rain In Holand who bounced back to her best form on Tuesday evening with an emphatic 2.50-length victory in the Grade 2 Wilgerbos[1]drift Gauteng Fillies Guineas.

That meeting was the second career run for both of them and Rain In Holland went on to be named Equus Two-year-old filly of the year with a victory 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. Noble Sniper is making his Highveld debut after moving to Paul Peter’s yard from KwaZulu[1]Natal 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.

Get all your horse racing news and information for Thursday, 10 February 2022, as found in Racing Express, by clicking here.

Freedom Of Choice did beat Look Yourself in a Maiden Juvenile Plate and has a 2.5kg claimer up so if fit, that will make her the main danger. While only a one-time winner, Mike de Kock-trained Waya Yire has not finished far off the winner in all of her starts and has only once run out of the top four. She is one for Quartets. Noble Striker is another with talent, but perhaps not quite as good as his merit rating suggests. He has been running against some top three-year-olds in features and is now coming down in class. Corne Spies’ charge is not out of it but does have to give weight all round.