Old timers were accustomed to seeing high class horses lump heavy weights to victory. They would have enjoyed seeing Soqrat (speed figure of 108) tote 62kg’s when pulverizing rivals in the G3 Victory Moon Stakes at the Vaal on Saturday.
This son of Epaulette has tangled with the very best around in South Africa, nearly capsizing Do It Again and Rainbow Bridge with outstanding figures of 113 and 114. He enjoyed a massive class edge at the Vaal and duly won convincingly. Green Haze (s/s 104) and Master Magic (s/s 102) filled the placings running career bests.
One World is another of SA’s top racehorses. He suffered his only defeat over 1600m behind Soqrat in the Guineas and extended his stellar record in the Cape Mile at Kenilworth over the weekend. The Captain Al colt has run numbers as high as 114 but needed only a solid 105 to score on Saturday. More Magic and Priceless Ruler ran gamely with both getting 101’s yet proved no match for the ace miler.
Backing long term losers is usually a foolish move but, like all things in racing, there are exceptions to the rule. Take Casual Diamond, for example. Despite a close third to Anime in this race last year, she had not won in 805 days yet that did not stop her from winning the 2019 Laisserfaire Stakes. Robert Kathi produced her with a rally down the inner to get past Mushi Sterek in an upset result.