I Salute You (nearest) gets up in the Listed Sledgehammer under Muzi Yeni. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).
Soqrat was a tremendous racehorse but was never quite the same horse after the controversial L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate in which the start was delayed by 25 minutes.
Before that the Mike de Kock-trained Australian-bred son of Epaulette had never missed the frame in 15 starts and his performances included winning the Gr 1 Premiers Champion Stakes over 1600m at Greyville, winning the Gr 1 Cape Guineas, winning the Gr 1 wfa HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes as a three-year-old, finishing a 0,30 length second as a three-year-old to Do It Again in the Gr 1 wfa Queen’s Plate, finishing a 0,40 length second as a three-year-old to Rainbow Bridge in the Gr 1 Champions Cup, winning the Gr 3 Victory Moon Stakes and finishing a 0,5 length second in the Gr 1 Summer Cup carrying topweight. After the Queen’s Plate disaster, in which the usually laid back Soqrat became distressed at the start and finished downfield, his best performance was a second place finish in the Gr 1 Premiers Champions Challenge.
Soqrat has been a touch disappointing to date at stud but did have his first stakes winner on Sunday at Hollwyoodbets Scottsville.
Below is a report on that racemeeting:
The Listed WSB Sledgehammer over 1750m was the highlight of the ten race Hollywoodbets Scottsville meeting yesterday and the Peter Muscutt-trained three-year-old colt I Salute You gave the Australian-bred Epaulette stallion Soqrat his first stakes winner when prevailing from Selukwe in a thriller under Muzi Yeni.
I Salute you started 5/2 second favourite and Yeni found a nice one out and two back position with cover in fourth place. The favourite Legal Counsel was dropped out from a wide draw, but refused to settle throughout behind a slow pace set by Quartermain and his race was run a long way out. Defending champion Narina Trogon came from fifth place on the rail and hit the front halfway down the straight on the inside. However, I Salute you had come around the pacemaker and overtook Narina Trogon close to home. Selukwe had sat behind I Salute You in the running and challenged him strongly late, but was a longhead shy at the line with Narina Trogon beaten 0,45 lengths into third.
In the Non-Black Type Scarlet Lady over 1750m the Gareth van Zyl-trained Vercingetorix filly Tomyris has always been highy regarded and showed it in her previous KZN start before failing in a strong Johannesburg feature. Yesterday, she came from last in the nine horse field and displayed a magnificent turn of foot under S’Manga Khumalo to beat the progressive favourite Mascherina by 0,80 lengths, despite being under sufferance carrying 57kg off an official 88 merit rating. Third-placed Forgiveness was beaten 5,20 lengths, which says a lot about the performance of the first two.
In the Highland Night Cup the exciting Frank Robinson-trained stayer Shoot The Rapids, an unlucky second in last year’s Gold Cup, travelled well in third place in the 2400m event and cruised past market rival and fellow topweight Cape Eagle in the straight. However, the latter fought back bravely, so those who had taken the 13/10 about the Erupt gelding had a few anxious moments, but he did hold on by 0,30 lengths after Zackey had deftly swapped whiphands late and got the necessary extra.
In the first race over 1000m Cape Town form once again proved superior as the four-year-old Master Of My Fate gelding Tam’s Night looked superior to the rest throughout and won his first start for the Robbie and Shannon Hill yard cosily under Tristan Godden, despite returning from a ten month layoff and having drifted out to 6/1.
In the second race over 1000m the Duncan Howells-trained three-year-old Fire Away filly Ruby Rising drifted out to 10/1, despite having placed in the first three in her last three starts, and that proved fine value as she showed good pace throughout under Kabelo Matsunyane and just held on from a fast finishing Lucienne. Are You Sure had beaten Ruby Rising by 3,60 lengths when they last met and had beaten Lucienne by 2,90 lengths when they last met and she was backed into 9/10 favourite. However, S’Manga Khumalo, who replaced Sean Veale, could not get much extra out of her after she showed her usual good pace and this time Ruby Rising beat her by 2,60 lengths as she could only manage fifth place.
In the third race over 1400m the Justin Snaith-trained Vercingetorix gelding Gran Canaria was taken handy from a wide draw under Andrew Fortune. The 17/10 shot proved superior and stayed on in the straight to get up by 0.90 lengths from the 14/10 favourite Pioneer Square, who was rading from Johannesburg. The fancied White Seahorse was next best.
In the fourth race over 1750m Siboniso NgCobo has done a fine job with the four-year-old The United States filly Colorado Creek and this consistent sort had a good form chance and duly won comfortably by a length despite jumping from a wide draw under Muzi Yeni.
In the eighth race Northern Warrior was clearly playing up before the button was pressed, the commentator even said so, but nevertheless the starter pressed the button and he lost three lengths. The favourite, the Tienie Prinsloo-trained Erupt filly Happy Analia took a long time to load but won well under Kabelo Matsunyane, a deserved win after many close calls.
The ninth over 1200m was won by the Yogas Govender-trained Twice Over gelding Double Olympic under 4kg claimer Mxolisi Mbuto after being backed in to 9/2.
The last race over 1400m saw a storming late run by the Kumaran Naidoo-trained Fire Away gelding Down By The River to get up under Philasande Mxoli.
