Horse Of The Year Title For Oh Susanna

Australian bred mare Oh Susanna took the top honours at South Africa’s annual Equus Awards where she was crowned Horse of the Year and Champion 3YO Filly for the 2017-18 season.

The daughter of Street Cry and US G2 winner Sharp Susan enjoyed a remarkable season with a hat-trick of G1 wins culminating with victory in the Woolavington 2000 at Greyville.

Another Australian product Soqrat, a Mike De Kock-trained colt by Epaulette, was named Champion 2YO Colt.

Soqrat won three of his four 2YO starts including the G1 Premiers Champion Stakes.

Since Australian-bred Igugu won South African Horse of the Year in 2010/11, the exported Harry’s Son, Majmu, Entisaar and Mustaaqeem have all won Soutbh African juvenile gongs while other Australian-breds including Whisky Baron, Enaad and Alboran Sea have picked up other titles.

Oh Susanna has raced just the nine times for four wins and three placings.

She dominated the second half of the South African season with successive G1 victories in the Paddock Stakes, Sun Met when she became the first 3YO filly in over 100 years to win the race, and the Woolavington 2000.

Oh Susanna is among 20 G1 winners and 122 stakes winners by the late Street Cry. His sire sons include Street Sense, Street Boss, Whobegotyou and Shocking but he will surely go down in history as a remarkable sources of female talent having sired the superstars Winx and Zenyatta.

Oh Susanna is out of the Touch Gold mare Sharp Susan, winner of six races including the G2 Lake Placid Stakes and related to G1 winners Spring At Last, Sharp Lisa and Foundry.

Sharp Susan was purchased for $2 million by Australian interests in 2008 bfore she was acquired by Gaynor Rupert’s Drakenstein Stud in SOuth Africa for $1,050,000 at the 2012 Easter Broodmare Sale in Sydney.

Sharp Susan’s first two foals for Drakenstein Stud – both by Street Cry – died while her third, a Bernardini filly, raced in South Africa.

She produced Oh Susanna on a free return to Street Cry.

Shadwell Stud bred and races Soqrat, the first G1 winner by first season sire Epaulette.

He is out of the multiple winning Hussonet mare Elzeeza and closely related to G2 winners Colorado Claire, Gunnison and Moonovermanhattan and G1 winning Hong Kong sprinter Lucky Bubbles.

Soqrat has a 2YO half sister Hafaawa, in training in Australia.

Oh Susanna’s trainer Justin Snaith also trains Do It Again (Twice Over), who was named Champion 3YO Colt after his victory in the G1 Durban July.

His sire Twice Over was a G1 winner trained by Sir Henry Cecil in Britain and stands in South Africa at Klawervlei Stud.

Klawervlei Stud’s champion sire Dynasty was responsible for the Champion Stayer winner It’s My Turn. The Western Cape stud farm was also named Champion Breeder.

The Champion 2YO Filly was Return Flight (Pomodoro); Champion Older Mare Nother Russia (Tiger Ridge) and Champion Sprinter Will Pays (Imperial Stride).

Former Horse of the Year Legal Eagle (Grey’s Inn) claimed Champion Older Male and Champion Miler titles.

Silvano (Lomitas) won his third South African sires championship following victories in 2012/13 and 2016/17. He was represented by 12 individual black-type winners last season among his 182 wins for the term.

Strawberry Lane (Jallad) was named Champion Broodmare, Northfields picked up the Outstanding Breeder award and Drakenstein Stud was Champion Owner.