Life In Colour drifted alarmingly in the betting before obliterating the field in today’s second race, a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1400m (JC Photos)
Robin Bruss’s Northfields Stud are pound for pound one of the most successful breeding operations in the country and one of his best families look to have another potential star member in the Corne Spies-trained Malmoos gelding Life In Colour, who slammed the opposition in a start to finish victory over 1400m at the Vaal today (Wednesday).
Life In Colour is a half-brother to True To Life, a Northfields Stud-bred Duke Of Marmalade filly who won two Gr 3s, was runner up in the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint and was twice placed third in the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint.
Life In Colour is also a half-brother to the Spies-trained Listed-placed speedster African Pride.
Life In Colour was beaten 7,80 lengths on debut by a fair sort in Sherlock Holmes, but then ran a good 1,50 length third next time out over 1160m at Turffontein Standside. He was noticeably resolute in that run so was surely going to be suited to the Vaal 1200m.
He amazingly drifted right out from 4/1 to 25/2 as Raptor King, who had been green before finishing strongly on debut, remained steady at around 7/10 and there was support for first-timer Master Smoker.
Life In Colour pinged the gates from draw 5 in the eleven horse field and never looked back. He carved out a lead under Mickaelle Michel and kicked in the final stages to beat Master Smoker by 4,50 lengths with Raptor King, who was a touch green again, beaten 8,25 lengths.
Life In Colour relished the step up in trip and both Mickaelle Michel and Corne Spies said he could improve further if calming down more in the preliminaries. Corne said he had improved in that respect today from his first two starts and he added that he was looking forward to seeing him go over classic distances.
The Spies yard rate Malmoos and identified him as a horse to support at the sales and so far it looks to be paying dividends.
Robin Bruss won an Equus Outstanding Breeders award a few years ago for the remarkable feat of never having operated with more than eight broodmares and yet being breeder of two champions that season, the Equus Champion Three-year-old Do It Again and the Equus Champion Sprinter Will Pays, on top of also being breeder of a Hong Kong Gr 1-placed horse Horse Of Fortune (Strongman).
Of course Do It Again went on to become Equus Horse Of The Year after winning the July for a second time the next season.
Bruss bred his first thoroughbred in 1975 and up until 2018 had bred eight Gr 1 winners, including the winner of all of the July (Do It Again), the Met (Zebra Crossing) and the Premier’s Champions Challenge (Deo Juvente).
He hasn’t bred a Gr 1 winner since then but is the breeder of Supreme Vision, who is the dam of this year’s WSB Met and Premier’s Champions Challenge winner See It Again.
Supreme Vision (Visionaire) is a half-sister to Do It Again.
Bruss’ first Grade 1 winner was Basic Instinct (Comic Blush-Joyfields (Northfields), who won the Grade 1 Golden Spur sprint in 1998.
His mare Teclafields gave him three Grade 1 winners, Circle Of Life (Complete Warrior), who won the Garden Province Stakes in 2000, African Lion (Shalford), who won the Champions Cup in 2003 and Zebra Crossing (Jallad), who won the 2006 Met.
Circle Of Life is the dam of Deo Juvente and she is also the dam of Mina Salaam, who is the dam of Life In Colour.
Life In Colour is definitely one to watch.
Click here to read an article about Robin Bruss’ breeding success story
