The Sandown Stud-based stallion Soqrat not only won a Gr 1 as a two-year-old over 1600m, the Premier’s Champion Stakes, but he also won the country’s biggest sire-producing race, the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas, and he won the Gr 1 weight for age HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m.
However, the Mike de Kock-trained Australian-bred colt’s likely career best performance was when as a three-year-old he finished a 0,30 length second to the great Do It Again in the Gr 1 wfa L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.
Another of his finest performances was in the Gr 1 Summer Cup over 2000m as a four-year-old when he carried topweight of 60kg and produced a flying finish, failing by half-a-length to catch the winner Zillzaal to whom he gave 7,5kg.
Soqrat is a great grandson of the great Danehill, being by the latter’s grandson Epaulette (Commands), whose five wins from 1200m to 1400m, included two Gr 1s.
Soqrat has plenty of black type in his female line and among them is the promising and highly rated Mike de Kock-trained three-year-old Immediate Edge (Vercingetorix). who is out of an unraced Commands three-parts sister to Soqrat.
Soqrat seemed to have great stallion potential, considering his proven precociouness, his classic-winning class and his good pedigree.
Indeed when Bloodstock South Africa’s chief sales inspector Alistair Gordon, a man with decades of experience as a trainer, was asked about the new sires appearing at the National Yearling Sale of 2023, he replied, “If I had to single one out it would be Soqrat. He has produced amazing quality, but we all know they still have to prove themselves on the racecourse.”
Soqrat’s five lots at that Sale fetched an average of R499,000.
At the 2024 BSA National Yearling Sale his five lots average R315,000 and at this year’s BSA National Yearling Sale his one single lot fetched R1 million.
James Armitage, owner of Sandown Stud, has lamented the lack of numbers for Soqrat.
He only had one two-year-old winner from his first crop.
However, they started firing at a fine strike rate as soon as they turned three and the numbers tell another story.
His mere 17 three-year-olds runners to date have a winners to runners percentage of 52.9%.
Among them is his first stakes winner, the Peter Muscutt-trained colt I Salute You, who won the Listed WSB Sledgehammer over 1750m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville, beating Selukwe by a long head on just 1kg better terms than weight for age and of course the latter went on to win the Gr 3 WSB 1900 before finshing third in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Durban July.
Another good one among his three-year-olds is the Lucinda Woodruff-trained three-time winning filly Sohot Sowhat, who looks capable of stepping up to feature class.
In the East Cape the Zietsman Oosthuizen-trained Three Cheers has been a revelation on the poly since being stepped up in trip. This career four-time winner has won three races in four starts over 1900m and beyond on the poly.
Meanwhile, one of Soqrat’s second crop two-year-olds has shone.
The Peter Muscutt-trained filly Jordash won by two lengths second time out over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth in February.
She ran 4,55 lengths back in the Gr 2 Splashout Golden Slipper on Hollywoodbets Durban July day and she is entered in the Gr 1 Douglas Whyte Thekwini Stakes over 1600m on Gold Cup day.
Muscutt has also entered an unraced Soqrat gelding in a Gr 1 on Gold Cup day, Deandre’s Dream, who is entered in the World Pool Moment Of The Day Premiers Champion Stakes.
Soqrat looks to be an underestimated and good value sire at a cover fee of R12,000 for a live foal.
