Star mare National Colour dies giving birth to a healthy filly

National Colour, a brilliant racemare and producer who was crowned Horse of the Year in South Africa for the 2005-06 season, has died while giving birth to a healthy filly foal by champion Australian sire Snitzel.

Trained by Sean Tarry, the mare won three consecutive Group 1 sprints in her native South Africa and was also campaigned in the UAE and Britain, where she was only just touched off by Borderlescott in the 2008 Nunthorpe Stakes.

As a broodmare, the daughter of National Assembly enjoyed a red-letter day when her sons Mustaaqeem and Rafeef made their Group 1 breakthrough on the same Turffontein card on May 6, 2017.

The Shadwell-raced pair put clear daylight between themselves and their rivals - Mustaaqeem an easy four-length winner of the SA Nursery and Rafeef just over a length clear in the Computaform Sprint.

Mustaaqeem also topped the 2016 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale when bought by Angus Gold on behalf of Shadwell for A$1.75 million (around £970,000/€1.1m).

John Koster of Klawervlei Stud, who owned the popular grey mare, told Turf Talk: "National Colour died of a 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 added that the filly foal, the eighth produce of National Colour and a three-parts sister to Mustaaqeem and Rafeef, would be fostered immediately.

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National Colour the dam of two Group 1 winners on same card