Sottsass


Sottsass is a French Thoroughbred racehorse. He showed promise as a two-year-old in 2018 when he won the second of his two starts. In the following year he was beaten on his seasonal debut but then developed into a top-class middle distance pefrormer with wins in the Prix de Suresnes, Prix du Jockey Club and Prix Niel.

Background

Sottsass is a chestnut colt bred in France by the Ecurie Des Monceaux. In August 2017 the yearling was consigned to the Arqana sale at Deauville and was bought for €340,000 by Oceanic Bloodstock. He entered the ownership of Peter Brant's White Birch Farm and was sent into training with Jean-Claude Rouget.
He was from the fifth crop of foals sired by the Aga Khan's stallion Siyouni whose biggest win came in the 2009 running of the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. His other offspring have included Laurens and Ervedya. Sottsass is the third foal of his dam Starlet's Sister who had previously produced Sistercharlie and My Sister Nat. She showed little racing ability, failing to win in three starts in France, but was a great-granddaughter of Alea who produced Noalcoholic and was the female-line ancestor of the Preakness Stakes winner Red Bullet.

Racing career

2018: two-year-old season

Sottsass began his racing career in a contest for unraced juveniles over 1600 metres at Deauville Racecourse on 21 August in which he came home fourth of the nine runners, more than eight lengths behind the Freddy Head-trained winner Lone Peak. On 26 October at Clairefontaine Racecourse the colt started at odds of 2.7/1 for a maiden race and recorded his first success as he won by three lengths from Flop Shot.

2019: three-year-old season

On his three-year-old debut Sottsass was stepped up in class for the Group 3 Prix La Force over 1800 metres at Longchamp Racecourse on 7 April and came home fifth behind Shaman in a seven-runner field. In the Listed Prix de Suresnes over 2000 metres on soft ground at Chantilly Racecourse on 2 May he was ridden as in all of his previous starts by Christophe Soumillon. He was made the 2.1/1 favourite and won by six and a half lengths from Battle of Toro.
Cristian Demuro took the ride on 2 June when Sottsass contested the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club over 2100 metres at Chantilly and went off the 13/1 fifth choice in a fifteen-runner field. The Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Persian King started favourite, while the other fancied runners included Zarkallani, Slalom, Roman Candle, Raise You, Cape of Good Hope and Kick On. Sottsass raced in mid-division as Motamarris set the pace, but began to make rapid progress approaching the last 400 metres. He gained the advantage 200 metres from the finish and stayed on well to win "readily" by two lengths from Persian King. After the race Demuro said "Without really trying, I found myself directly behind Persian King, and he took me into the race with his acceleration. I knew he was the horse to beat, and once I was past him, it was easy".
After a break of more than three months Sottsass returned on 15 September for the Group 2 Prix Niel over 2400 metres at Longchamp and started the 1/2 favourite against four opponents. With Demuro in the saddle he was restrained in the early stages before making progress on the inside rail in the straight. He briefly looked unlikely to obtain a clear run but accelerated through a gap to take the lead in the closing stages and won by one and a quarter lengths from Mutamakina with Mohawk a short neck away in third place. On 6 October Sotsass was made the 6.6/1 second favourite for France's most prestigious race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe over 2400 metres on very soft ground at Longchamp. Ridden by Demuro he raced in mid-division before making steady progress in the straight and finishing third behind Waldgeist and Enable.
In the 2019 World's Best Racehorse Rankings Sottsass was given a rating of 123, making him the sixteenth best racehorse in the world and the best three-year-old.

2020: four-year-old season

On 11 May, the day on which French racing restarted after the COVID-19 outbreak Sottsass began his third campaign in the Group 2 Prix d'Harcourt over 2000 metres on very soft ground at Longchamp. Starting the 2/5 favourite he was restrained towards the rear before moving into contention in the straight but was unable to accelerate in the closing stages and came home fourth of the nine runners behind Shaman, Way To Paris and Simona.
On 14 June, Sottsass won his second Group I race when successful in the Prix Ganay.

Pedigree