Some French Recruits are easy to place. I feel that I have a solid grasp on their form and a fair idea of where they sit in the pecking order. Others are impossible to assess and Matwana falls into that category. She made her debut in an All-Weather maiden at Deauville back in January and hasn't been seen on the track since. She ran well on her debut and the form has worked out nicely given what the winner has been able to do on the Flat since. However, having changed yards twice in the last 9-months and having been declared for a Juvenile hurdle at Hereford on Tuesday, she is very hard to weigh up. As a daughter of Galiway, the Sire of Vauban and Gala Marceau, there is every chance that she could be a decent juvenile hurdler, but her Dam's family are almost exclusively sprinters on the Flat, so this can only be a watching brief on her first start for Harry Derham.
Here's a summary of her profile:
MATWANA
3YO Filly
Galiway x Matwan (Indian Rocket)
10th Foal. Full-Sister to Listed sprint winner Wanaway (99) and Half-Sister to G3 Flat winner Batwan. Dam winning Listed sprinter in France, half-sister to 6f G3 winner Myasun.
Form: 3 €4,050 career earnings.
New Connections: Harry Derham, Mrs Ceri Fell
Notes: 3YO Filly. Had 1 start for Christopher Head and Qatar Racing when 3rd in an AW maiden at Deauville in January. Finished 5-length 3rd to Almara, a subsequent G3 winner over 10-furlongs, now rated 47.5 kg (104). Raced prominently behind the winner (who made all). Readily outpaced in the home straight behind the comfortable winner but did keep on to hold 3rd from a prominent position with closing sectionals of 11.29 and 11.66s.
Moved to David Menuisier in June, but NR at Salisbury and sold soon after for 60,000gns at Tatts in July.
Galiway has sired the likes of Vauban and Gala Marceau which offers some hope, but Dam’s side is almost exclusively a sprinting family. Harry Derham 2-13 with 3YO Hurdle runners (15.38%).
Key Races
Comments