Such Courage! Colour Of Courage (Sean Veale) powers home to win the Umkhomazi Stakes
A disappointing effort by Mike De Kock’s Trippi colt Journeyman opened the door for a local outfit in the R200 000 Gr2 Umkhomazi Stakes run over 1200m at Scottsville on Sunday. Mike Miller’s Colour Of Courage stepped up and registered a first stakes win for new Varsfontein stallion, Judpot.
In what looked a competitive affair, Journeyman went off a 13 to 20 favourite, but was outpaced early and only got going when the race was over.
Ace Antonius led early from Velvet Verona, with Colour Of Courage down the inside rail.
At the 300m marker Colour Of Courage went to challenge Ace Antonius, while Journeyman was taking his time to catch his stride down the outside.
The Mike Miller trained Judpot colt showed smart resolve though as he dug down deep and went away to beat Ace Antonius by a half length in a time of 70,45 secs, with Journeyman in third. The winner started at 14 to 1.
Winning jockey Sean Veale labelled the winner ‘one of best babies in the Miller yard.’
Colour Of Courage made it two wins from two starts. He took his stake earnings to R170 000.
A R140 000 National Two Year Old Sale purchase, the winner is out of the four time winning Exclusive Patriot mare, Exclusive Honour. He was bred by Backworth Stud.
Judpot’s sire, A P Indy, was Horse of the Year in the US, and subsequently headed the US general sires list twice.
To date, A P Indy has sired over 120 stakes winners, including a host of top-class feature race winners. He has sired such Gr1 winners as Aptitude, Bernardini, Mineshaft, Secret Status, Rags to Riches and Tempera, to name a few.
A P Indy’s leading sire sons include Pulpit, Malibu Moon, Mineshaft and Bernardini.
Judpot is out of the great racemare Miesque, whose 10 G1 wins include two scores in the Gr1 Breeders Cup Mile. Miesque produced five stakes winners, including French classic winners East of the Moon and Kingmambo. The latter, in turn, became a world leading sire of 80 stakes winners.
Judpot stands at Varsfontein for a fee of R20 000.
Colour Of Courage looks likely to enjoy 1400m or a mile as he matures and is a good looking chestnut colt with obvious ability.
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Umkhomazi S. (SAf-G2) (4/28) Scottsville, South Africa, April 28, R200.000, 1200m, turf, good, 1.10.45. 1 – COLOUR OF COURAGE (SAF), 58.0, ch c 2, Judpot (USA) – Exclusive Honour (SAF) by Exclusive Patriot (USA) . Owner MJL Nairac, MH Maingard, Baroness Bergsma of Longford; breeder Backworth Stud; trainer MD Miller; jockey S Veale (R125.000) 2 – Ace Antonius (SAF), 58.0, b c 2, Antonius Pius (USA) – Pacific Peace (USA) by Dynaformer (USA) 3 – Journeyman (SAF), 58.0, b c 2, Trippi (USA) – Rambo’s Love (SAF) by Rambo Dancer (USA) Margins: ½, ½, 5
