Gabi Looking At A Premier Week Ahead

Classic Day at Turffontein last Saturday produced some humdingers, including a likely world record for staunch owners Dayalan Chinsammy, Trevelen Pillay and their partners, who celebrated two Grade 1 wins and a Listed race victory on an afternoon when nobody even noticed the rain.

On a memorable occasion for the power of partnerships, the heady joys of horseracing, and a proud billboard for transformation in the owner ranks, the party went on late into the evening and we will be talking about the achievements for a long time to come.

4Racing Head Of Racing Gabriel Soma was one of the overjoyed part-owners of the Wilgerbosdrift Gr1 SA Fillies Classic winner Fiery Pegasus.

“What a joy to see so many different people from varied walks of life united under the flag of passion for horseracing. It’s a wonderful privilege to race with Jonathan Blumberg, Dayalan Chinsammy, Roger Coppin, Marlon Naicker, Bronson, Gerome, Kevin and Marc Nassif, Bafana and Kgaladi Ncube, and Trevelen Pillay. What a wonderful partnership!”

The 37 year old Gabriel, a married Dad of one and keen golfer, proudly tells the Sporting Post that he picked Fiery Pegasus at sale for R330 000 and said that she was ‘a standout.’

Soma takes immense pride in his ability to compete at the highest level, regardless of the financial constraints. His sharp eye for talent allows his MGAS Bloodstock to identify champions where others may overlook them.

The Soma family’s love for the game goes back many decades. Gabriel’s  late grandfather – also Gabriel Soma – was one of the greatest judges and personalities to grace the game. He is still spoken about today by many high profile people.

“My late Dad Gary was one of the best form studiers around. He was agent to Anton Marcus for over ten years and the retired multiple champion jockey will attest to his feeling for the game. My late mom Cecelia was an avid enthusiast and was born into the game. Her parents were owners for many years and her passion and love for the game was with her to the end.”

The expertise has been honed over years of learning under the guidance of his uncles, Gr1 winning trainer Joey and Neville Soma, renowned judges of horseflesh who have identified champions such as Special Preview, Divine Force, Got The Greenlight, Lobo’s Legend, Wagner, and Happy Landing, among multiple other group winners.

Countless hours spent at sales, studying catalogues, and analyzing horses in the parade ring on race days have provided Soma with an invaluable education in identifying future stars.

“Attending sales is one of my great passions, and being able to find top horses on a regular basis with next to no buying power is the fuel that fires me up,” he enthusiastically tells the Sporting Post.

“While finding top horses requires an eye or gift as well as buying power in certain cases, we are fortunate to be in the unique situation of being able to identify class.”

In the fiercely competitive world of bloodstock sales, where finding value can seem like an impossible task, MGAS Bloodstock has emerged as a force.

The boutique operation, founded by Gabriel Soma, has built a stellar reputation for its uncanny ability to select elite racehorses, transforming shrewd investments into feature race triumphs with remarkable efficiency.

Gabriel, who attends sales across the country, follows a stringent set of guidelines when evaluating horses. He gave us some insight into his philosophy:

• Every horse at a sale undergoes a thorough inspection.
• Horses must meet seven essential conformation criteria.
• Only horses deemed to have feature-race-winning potential based on conformation are considered.
• Pedigrees are analyzed for value rather than as the primary selection criterion.

MGAS Bloodstock first embarked on its journey with a syndicate in 2021, acquiring horses at the National Yearling Sales.

These purchases proved to be inspired investments, yielding multiple success stories:

• Back In Business (R325K) – Winner of the Gr2 Betway Spring Challenge and a listed race, securing six wins from twelve starts.
• Lady Of Power (R175K) – A remarkable bargain purchase who triumphed in the Gr2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas.
• Rule By Force (R160K) – Finished third in both the Gr1 Betway Summer Cup 2024 and the Gr1 SA Derby.
• In The Beginning (R160K) – A multiple winner.
• Brave Viking (R275K) – Another multiple winner.

Following a lack of syndicate support in 2022, Gabriel says that MGAS Bloodstock returned in 2023 with renewed determination, raising R1,5 million to target yearling sales.

Soma made a bold promise to his syndicate members: he would secure them a Group 1 horse—and he delivered with just four purchases at the sale:

• Fiery Pegasus (R330K) – The standout of the 2023 crop, winning the Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic in dominant fashion.
• Believe In Fate (R400K) – Won impressively on debut but suffered an injury in the Gr1 Gold Medallion. Now back in training and expected to be a feature race contender.

MGAS Bloodstock is now setting sights on the upcoming Cape Premier Yearling Sale and National Yearling Sale.

“We are out to find our next Fiery Pegasus. We know she’s out there somewhere!” he laughs.

Fiery Pegasus was right up there on the charts when Hollywoodbets unveiled the pre-noms ante-post market for the 2025 Hollywoodbets Durban July on Monday 3 March.

Visit www.hollywoodbets.net.

• For more information, or to join MGAS Bloodstock’s Cape Premier Yearling Sale Syndicate or National Yearling Sales Syndicate, please contact Gabriel Soma at +27 76 724 0585.