Epaulette has Group 1-winning two-year-old in South Africa
Runner-up was stablemate Alyaasaat (Dawn Approach), both owned and bred in NSW by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Shadwell Stud Australasia Ltd and trained by Mike de Kock.
While Soqrat, his trainer’s 117th Group 1 winner, is the first for Epaulette, the sire has Group 3 winners Khulaasa and Meryl in Australia plus stakes placegetters and winners in Britain, Ireland, France and Italy and a winner in the United States among his tally of 47 winners worldwide.
Before last Saturday Soqrat had won two races and been narrowly beaten in a Grade 2 feature so it is likely he will be recognised as South Africa’s champion juvenile of the 2017/18 season.
Epaulette retired to stud in Ireland and Australia in 2014 after winning five races and placing four times at two and three years in Australia to earn $1,717,750.
He was among the best juveniles of his generation, winning the Black Opal Stakes (RL, 1200m) at Canberra and finishing second in Rosehill’s Todman Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m).
Epaulette reached an even higher level of performance as a three-year-old with strong finishing wins in the Golden Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) and in the all aged Doomben 10,000 (Gr 1, 1350m).
One of the best of 77 stakes winners for his accomplished sire Commands (Danehill), Epaulette is a year younger half-brother to the even more successful sire Helmet (Exceed and Excel) who is bred on similar lines and they are two of four black type winners foaled by the superbly related imported mare Accessories (Singspiel) whose dam is by the great Mill Reef (Never Bend).
Epaulette will stand at Darley’s Kelvinside base in the Hunter Valley for a fee of $27,500.
Soqrat is the second winner from his Arrowleave Joint Venture-bred dam Elzeeza (Hussonet), a winner of two races and closely related to stakes winner Colorado Claire (Hussonet), dam of Group 2 winner Gunnison (Not a Single Doubt).
Elzeeza’s sire Hussonet (Mr. Prospector), a multiple champion sire and broodmare sire in Chile, was brought to Australia by Arrowfield Stud in the middle stages of his breeding career, continuing to leave high class winners such as Weekend Hussler and Reaan. As hoped, he developed a strong affinity with mares by Danehill (Danzig) and his sons, an affinity continued when his daughters were bred to such sires as Redoute’s Choice (Danehill).
Soqrat’s second dam, stakes placed Lunasong (Unbridled’s Song), is a half-sister to stakes winner Lunaspur (Flying Spur), dam not only of Colorado Claire but also of Group 2 winner Moonovermanhattan (Manhattan Rain), stakes-placed Moonlight Hussey (Hussonet) and Lunar Lady (Hussonet), who in turn produced Group 3 winner Selenia (Not a Single Doubt).
Stakes placed Bubble Below (Hussonet), a half-sister to Lunaspur, has added to the family’s renown by producing Group 1 winner Lucky Bubbles (Sebring), one of the best sprinters in Hong Kong in recent seasons.
Soqrat has a well balanced and well constructed pedigree which is an outcross in the first five generations although carrying three crosses of Northern Dancer (Nearctic) in generations five, six and seven.
His sire Epaulette is linebred to Mill Reef and Petition (Fair Trial) while his dam Elzeeza has doubles of Mr. Prospector (Raise a Native), Nashua (Nasrullah) and Dr. Fager (Rough’n Tumble) so Soqrat is bred on a broad pattern which has resulted in hundreds of black type winners throughout the world.
With a truly diverse and cosmopolitan pedigree mix, Soqrat also has remote linebreeding to such great names as Native Dancer (Polynesianj), Hail To Reason (Turn-to), Nasrullah (Nearco) and his equally quirky son Grey Sovereign (Nasrullah), Ribot (Tenerani) and stamina influence Princequillo (Prince Rose).