![Brae Sokolski and Lachie Niendorf [supplied]](https://betsy.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/BraewithJockey_84551.jpg)
Brae Sokolski is hoping his newly approved silks can have their first victory on the track when Unhinged looks to book a ticket to Queensland at Randwick on Wednesday.
The owner, who has won a Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and The Everest, worked with Racing Victoria and Racing NSW to get a new set of colours that honour his Jewish heritage after a set featuring a likeness to the Israeli flag on the sleeves were banned.
He is proud of the result and elected to talk to the Australian Jewish News about the saga and why he wanted to the colours.
“You don’t change your colours flippantly,” he told AJN.
“I had something very deep-seated in me that wanted to use my colours as a means to show my pride and strength in my Jewish heritage, in the context of our community being under siege and make a statement.
“The statement, not a political statement, being that we should be proud of our Jewish heritage and not allow anyone to diminish it or pressure us to hide it.”
The colours, which have a star of David on the body have been used for the past couple of weeks and Sokolski thinks Unhinged, which was a runner-up in them at Kembla Grange on debut, can give them a first win.
“I bred the colt, and we think he could get to Brisbane. It would be nice for him to be our first winner in them,” Sokolski said to Betsy. “I would like to thank Aaron Morrison and Peter V’landys and their organisations for their help in getting these registered because it means a lot to me and my community.”
The revised design in many ways are a better result for Sokolski and what he was hoping to achieve wi the original colours.
“The Magen David colours are not just about me as an individual but my broader family and generations to come,” Sokolski told APN.
“My nephew, Ollie, is similarly obsessed with racing and I know he will adopt these colours as of course will my son, Wolfe, who is only 3 months old but has already watched more horse racing than most adults.
“It wasn’t about trying to be confrontational … I’m a big believer in doing what you can as a member of the Jewish community, whatever that may be … and I think it’s incumbent on everyone in the Jewish community to stand up and be counted where they can.
“And I do obviously have some level of influence in the racing industry and a profile, and this is my way of using that profile and making it clear not just that I stand with the Jewish community, but also for those people in the racing industry and people who follow racing, I want them to know that I’m Jewish and I’m proud of it.
“I think this has been a really important instrument in enabling me to do that, and I’ve had overwhelming support within the industry for that initiative.”
