Judpot’s First Group Winner Backworth-Bred

KZN has had an exceptional weekend of Grade 2 successes at Turffontein and the momentum continued with Backworth’s talented two year old unbeaten chestnut colt Colour Of Courage, a son of Judpot out of their Exclusive Patriot mare – Exclusive Honour, winning his second start in the Gr2 Umkhomazi Stakes. The KZN-bred Colour Of Courage is the first Graded winner for sire Judpot who stands at Varsfontein Stud in the Cape.

A R140 000 sales graduate of the 2012 KZN Yearling Sale (which seems to be yielding a talented group of young horses – already with the likes of Stakes winning Jimmi Choo and Gr 2 winning Virgo’s Babe), Colour Of Courage got his career off to a blazing start by winning his debut run at Greyville by half a length on the 4 April over 1300m in slightly soft going, beating Var colt Translator by half a length on that occasion.

Trained by Michael Miller and ridden by Sean Veale on both occasions, Colour Of Courage took home the Gr 2 Umkhomazi Stakes at Scottsville on Sunday from Ace Antonius (Antonius Pius) by half a length with Journeyman finishing third – a Trippi colt bred by Roski Stud who was having his second start and finished a length behind the winner in good going. Winning jockey Sean Veale labelled the winner ‘one of best babies in the Miller yard.’

Owned by Messrs M J L Nairac, R Maingard & Baroness Bergsma of Longford, Colour Of Courage takes his stake earnings to R170 000.

Congratulations to breeders Keith Russon and Ian Todd of Backworth Stud – who also had a winner in the first race of the day with Dazzle – yet another graduate of the 2012 KZN Yearling Sale. Dazzle is trained by Glen Kotzen and has now placed and won in all three of her starts. She is a Muhtafal half-sister to Stakes winner Variometer.

Colour Of Courage as a KZN-bred qualifies for the two year old race for a stake of R200 000 on KZN Breeders Race Day which will be held on 30 June 2013, as well as the KZN Breeders Juvenile race to be held on Vodacom Durban July day for a stake of R1-million – the latter race being exclusively for horses who graduated off the 2012 KZN Yearling Sale.

– extract sportingpost.co.za