National Colour dies after giving birth to filly

National Colour, the 2005/6 Equus joint Horse Of The Year in South Africa and 2017 New South Wales Broodmare Of The Year, has died after giving birth at Arrowfield Stud in Australia. She was 17.

John Koster of South Africa’s champion breeders Klawervlei Stud, who owns the popular grey mare, said on Sunday: “National Colour died of broad ligament haemorrhage shortly after giving birth to a filly by Snitzel.

“It’s very sad news for us. National Colour was a beacon of hope and excellence for Chris and Erich van Niekerk, Sean Tarry and Klawervlei. We mourn her passing and we celebrate her brilliance as a racehorse and broodmare. May she gallop freely in the greenest pastures, into eternity.”

Koster said that the surviving filly foal, grey like her mother, was healthy and well and that she would be fostered immediately.

National Colour, by National Assembly from Rainbow Cake (Mr Eats), enjoyed phenomenal racetrack success. She won eight races in SA and Dubai and also ran second in one of Britain’s premier sprints, the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York. Her biggest local wins came in the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint, the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint and Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint.

National Colour produced the imported Grade 1 winners Mustaaqeem and Rafeef – with Rafeef going on to start his stallion career at Highlands/Ridgemont.–