Natural Colour overhauled Northwest Factor in the stretch on her way to posting a four-and-three-quarter length victory in the $75,000 Luther Burbank Handicap at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa on Saturday, 6 August.
Not only was it the first Stakes win for the four-year-old daughter of Exceed And Excel, but she also became the 200th individual Stakes winner sired by the remarkable stallion.
Natural Colour was forwardly placed while saving ground down along the inside rail through the early stages of the mile-and-a-sixteenth turf contest. She found herself in tight quarters and lacking racing room entering the far turn but was able to split rivals nearing the furlong marker to take command and draw off in the stretch for the victory.
Natural Colour was bred in Great Britain by the Safiyna Partnership and is out of the Sinndar mare, Safiyna, who is a half-sister to Champion Sageburg (by Johannesburg), winner of the G1 Prix d’Ispahan. Natural Colour’s second dam, Sage et Jolie, is herself a G2 winner and a full sister to Champion and G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victor Sagamix.
Exceed And Excel is the sixth stallion to sire 200 Stakes winners after Galileo, Danehill, Sadler’s Wells, Dubawi and More Than Ready. He will be covering this season at a fee of $132,000 Inc GST.
