Colorspin (16 March 1983 – 14 August 2012) was a French-bred, British-trained

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse and

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than f ...

. She showed great promise as a two-year-old in 1985 when she won both of her races in convincing fashion. In the following year she finished third in the

Musidora Stakes The Musidora Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards () at ...

and fourth in The Oaks before recording her biggest success with an easy win in the

Irish Oaks The Irish Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres), and it i ...

. She was beaten in her two remaining starts and was retired racing at the end of the year. She became an outstanding broodmare, producing the

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot ...

winner

Opera House An opera house is a theater (structure), theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a Stage (theatre), stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venu ...

, the dual

Ascot Gold Cup The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4,01 ...

winner

Kayf Tara Kayf Tara (18 March 1994 – 8 December 2022) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Background Kayf Tara was bred in England by the Meon Valley Stud. His dam Colorspin won the Irish Oaks and had previously produced the multiple Group ...

and the

Prix de l'Opéra The Prix de l'Opéra is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and it ...

winner

Zee Zee Top Zee Zee Top (foaled 21 April 1999) is a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She did not race until the autumn of her three-year-old season when she won a minor race on her debut and then finished second in the Severals Stakes. In the ...

Background

Colorspin was a "tall, lengthy" bay mare bred in France by Egon Weinfeld's

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

-based Meon Valley Stud. Like the other horses raced by the Meon Valley Stud, Colorspin competed in the black and white colours of Helena Springfield Ltd a company owned by Weinfeld. She was trained by

Michael Stoute Sir Michael Ronald Stoute (born 22 October 1945) is a Barbadian British Thoroughbred horse trainer in flat racing. Career Stoute, whose father was the Chief of Police for Barbados, left the island in 1964 at the age of 19 to become an as ...

at his Beech Hurst stables in

Newmarket, Suffolk Newmarket is a market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. Located (14 miles) west of Bury St Edmunds and (14 miles) northeast of Cambridge. It is considered the birthplace and global centre of thoroughbred ...

, where she was one of an outstanding group of fillies which also included

Sonic Lady Sonic Lady (15 February 1983 – February 1996) was an American-bred, British-trained racehorse and broodmare. A temperamental filly who was often difficult to ride, she was a specialist miler who won seven Group races. After winning her only ...

and Untold. She was sired by

High Top The high-top is a shoe that extends slightly over the wearer's ankle. It is commonly an athletic shoe, particularly for basketball. It is sometimes confused with the slightly shorter mid-top, which typically extends no higher than the wearer's an ...

, who won the

2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year ...

in 1972 and later became a successful breeding stallion whose other progeny included

Top Ville Top Ville (5 April 1976 – November 13, 1998) was an Irish-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In the autumn of 1978, the colt established himself as one of the leading two-year-old colts in France with wins in the Prix ...

Circus Plume Circus Plume (1981–1996) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare best known for winning the classic Oaks Stakes in 1984. After winning once from three starts in 1983, Circus Plume improved to become one of the best staying fillie ...

and

Cut Above Cut Above (19 April 1978 – ca. 1991) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire best known for his upset win in the 1981 St Leger Stakes. As a two-year-old he showed useful form despite being beaten in both of his races and won the White ...

. Her dam Reprocolor won the

Lancashire Oaks The Lancashire Oaks is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 175 yards ...

in 1979 and went on to become one of Meon Valley's three foundation mares alongside One in a Million and

Odeon Odeon may refer to: Ancient Greek and Roman buildings * Odeon (building), ancient Greek and Roman buildings built for singing exercises, musical shows and poetry competitions * Odeon of Agrippa, Athens * Odeon of Athens * Odeon of Domitian, Rome ...

. Apart from Colorspin she produced Cezanne and the

winner Bella Colora and she was also the female-line ancestor of Lyric of Light.

Racing career

1985: two-year-old season

On her racecourse debut Colorspin contested a nineteen-runner

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the s ...

over six

furlongs A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

Nottingham Racecourse Nottingham Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It is situated at Colwick Park, close to the River Trent and about 3 km east of the city centre. Characteristics There are actually ...

and won by a

length Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Inte ...

from the

Henry Cecil Sir Henry Richard Amherst Cecil (11 January 1943 – 11 June 2013) was a British flat racing horse trainer. Cecil was very successful, becoming Champion Trainer ten times and training 25 domestic Classic winners. These comprised four winners ...

-trained Thousand Sails. In October she was moved up in distance for the Listed Rochford Thompson Newbury Stakes over seven and a half furlongs at

Newbury Racecourse Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat ...

. She raced in second place before going to the front three furlongs out and won by a length from Salchow with a gap of five lengths back to Chernicherva in third place.

1986: three-year-old season

Colorspin began her second season in the

Musidora Stakes The Musidora Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards () at ...

(a trial for The Oaks) over ten furlongs at

York Racecourse York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It attracts around 350, ...

in May and finished third behind Rejuvenate and Ala Mahlik. In the Oaks at

Epsom Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse on the hills associated with Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course, which has a crowd capacity of 13 ...

on 7 June she was the least fancied of her trainer's three runners and started a 25/1 outsider in a fifteen-runner field. Ridden by Brian Rouse she exceeded expectations as she came home fourth behind

Midway Lady Midway Lady (foaled 1983) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who won two British Classic Races in 1986. In a racing career lasting from August 1985 until June 1986, the filly ran six times and won her last ...

, Untold and Maysoon.

Pat Eddery Patrick James John Eddery (18 March 1952 – 10 November 2015) was an Irish flat racing jockey and trainer. He rode three winners of the Derby and was Champion Jockey on eleven occasions. He rode the winners of 4,632 British flat races, a ...

took the ride when the filly was sent to Ireland to contest the Irish Oaks on softer ground at the

Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the ...

on 12 July. Untold (the choice of Stoute's stable jockey

Walter Swinburn Walter Robert John Swinburn (7 August 1961 – 12 December 2016) was a flat racing jockey and trainer who competed in Great Britain and internationally. Biography Swinburn was born in Oxford. He was the son of Wally Swinburn, who won t ...

) was made the odds-on favourite ahead of the Pretty Polly Stakes winner Fleur Royale with Colorspin the 6/1 third choice in a field of eight fillies. Ridden with great confidence by Eddery, Colorspin tracked the front-running Fleur Royale before taking the lead a furlong out and won "very easily" by three lengths with a gap of twelve lengths back to Untold in third place. On 19 August Colorspin, ridden by Swinburn, started 9/4 favourite in a strong renewal of the

Yorkshire Oaks The Yorkshire Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 ...

which included Gull Nook (

Ribblesdale Stakes The Ribblesdale Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres), and it is ...

Park Express Park Express (25 March 1983 – 2006) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She showed promise as a two-year-old in 1985, before developing into a top-class middle-distance performer in the following season. Racing against hors ...

, Untold, Fleur Royale and Ivor's Image (

Oaks d'Italia Oaks may refer to: Plants * Oak trees or shrubs in the genus ''Quercus'' in the plant family Fagaceae * Other trees not in genus ''Quercus'', see Oak (disambiguation) People * Age Oks (known professionally as Agnes Oaks), Estonian ballerina * ...

). Racing on much firmer ground she finished fourth of the eleven runners behind Untold, Park Express and Ivor's Image. On her final appearance Colorspin was matched against male opposition and older horses in the

Irish Champion Stakes The Irish Champion Stakes ( Irish: Curadh-Dhuais na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,0 ...

Phoenix Park Racecourse Phoenix Park Racecourse is a former horse racing venue in Ireland. It was located in the townlands of Ashtown and Castleknock in the civil parish of Castleknock on the northern edge of the Phoenix Park in Dublin. The course was founded by JHH ...

on 7 September. She never looked likely to win and was outpaced in the straight, coming home eleventh of the thirteen runners, some sixteen lengths behind the winner Park Express.

Assessment

In 1985, the independent

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by ...

organisation gave Colorspin a rating of 117 p (the "p" indicating that she was expected to make more than usual improvement), making her seven pounds inferior to their best two-year-old filly

Femme Elite ''Femme'' (; , literally meaning "woman") is a term traditionally used to describe a lesbian who exhibits a feminine identity or gender presentation. Alternate meanings of the word also exist with some non-lesbian individuals using the word, ...

. In the official International Classification she was rated twelve pounds behind the top-rated

Bakharoff Bakharoff (foaled 12 February 1983) was an American-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was the highest-rated European two-year-old of 1985 when he won the William Hill Futurity and the Chesham Stakes as well as finishing se ...

and nine pounds behind the leading filly

Baiser Vole Baiser (French for ''kiss'') was a Japanese visual kei rock band formed in 1991 by vocalist Yukari.cdjourna ...

. In the following year Colorspin was rated 118 by Timeform, eleven pound behind their best three-year-old fillies Sonic Lady and

Darara Darara (11 May 1983 – June 2012) was an Irish-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and broodmare. Her racing career was restricted to six races between June and November 1983 and included three wins including the Prix ...

. She was rated nine pounds behind the top-rated Sonic Lady in the International Classififcation and was the sixth-best three-year-old filly in the 11 furlong plus division.

Breeding record

Colorspin was retired from racing to become a broodmare at the Meon Valley Stud. She produced at least sixteen foals between 1988 and 2008: *

, a bay colt, foaled in 1988, sired by

Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-se ...

. Won eight races including Tattersalls Rogers Gold Cup,

Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards ...

Eclipse Stakes The Eclipse Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furl ...

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot ...

. *Highland Dress, bay colt, 1989, by Lomond. Won four races. *Polanski, bay colt, 1991, by

Polish Precedent Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin scree ...

. Failed to win in two races. *Stencil, chestnut colt (later

gelded A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, making ...

), 1992, by

Nashwan Nashwan (1 March 1986 – 2002) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After winning both his starts as a two-year-old, he developed into an outstanding performer in the spring and summer of 1989, completing ...

*Color Precedent, bay filly, 1993, by Polish Precedent *

, bay colt, 1994, by Sadler's Wells. Won ten races including

Ascot Gold Cup The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4,01 ...

Irish St Leger The Irish St Leger is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 6 furlongs (2,816 metres), and i ...

Goodwood Cup The Goodwood Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 2 miles (3,2 ...

. *Spinning the Yarn, bay filly, 1996, by

Barathea Barathea, sometimes spelled barrathea, is a soft fabric, with a broken twill weft rib, giving a surface that is lightly pebbled or ribbed, with the effect of a twill running both left and right. Original developed as a cloth for mourning clothes ...

. Unplaced on only start. Dam of

Necklace A necklace is an article of jewellery that is worn around the neck. Necklaces may have been one of the earliest types of adornment worn by humans. They often serve ceremonial, religious, magical, or funerary purposes and are also used as symb ...

(

Moyglare Stud Stakes The Moyglare Stud Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is schedul ...

). *Mafnood, bay colt, 1997, by

Rainbow Quest ''Rainbow Quest'' (1965–66) was a U.S. television series devoted to folk music and hosted by Pete Seeger. It was videotaped in black-and-white and featured musicians playing in traditional American music genres such as traditional folk music, ...

. Unraced. *Turn of a Century, bay filly, 1998, by Halling. Won one race. *

, bay filly, 1999, by

Zafonic Zafonic (1 April 1990 – 7 September 2002) was a European Thoroughbred racehorse bred in Kentucky. He was the 1992 European Champion Two-Year-Old Colt and won the following year's 2,000 Guineas. Background Zafonic was sired by the Mr. Pros ...

. Won three races including

Middleton Stakes The Middleton Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yar ...

and

. Dam of Izzi Top ( Pretty Polly Stakes,

Prix Jean Romanet The Prix Jean Romanet is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles) at Deauville in Aug ...

) and Jazzi Top (

Prix de la Nonette The Prix de la Nonette is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and it is scheduled to ...

). *Feel Good Factor, bay colt (gelded), 2000, by Singspiel. Won two races under

National Hunt In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

rules. *Team Player, bay colt, 2001, by

Mark of Esteem Mark of Esteem (26 March 1993 – 21 May 2014) was an Irish bred thoroughbred racehorse. In his two years of racing, he won four races and placed once from seven runs, with earnings of £365,139. Background Mark of Esteem was a bay horse with ...

.Failed to win in two races. *Galaxy Highflyer, bay filly, 2004, by Galileo. Unraced. Dam of Oklahoma City (Tattersalls Millions 2-y-o Trophy) *Chioroscuro, grey colt (gelded), 2005, by Act One. Failed to win in three races. *Colorado Dawn, chestnut filly, 2006, by

Fantastic Light Fantastic Light (foaled February 13, 1996) is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse and pensioned sire. He was foaled in the United States but was trained in England and Dubai during his racing career, which ran from August 1998 to his retirement fo ...

. Unraced. *Justification, dark bay or brown colt (gelded), 2008, by

Montjeu Montjeu (4 April 1996 – 29 March 2012) was an Irish-bred, French-trained thoroughbred horse racing racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from September 1998 to November 2000, he ran sixteen times and won eleven races, including ...

. on one

flat race National Hunt flat races, informally known as bumper races, are a type of flat racing but run under National Hunt racing rules in Britain and Ireland. National Hunt flat races were created on 15 July 1891 when a conference between the stewards of ...

and two races over

hurdles Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...

. In 2003 Colorspin was named British Broodmare of the Year by the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association. Colorspin was retired from breeding in 2008 and died at the Meon Valley Stud from a suspected heart attack on 14 August 2012 at the age of 29.

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 1983 racehorse births 2012 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in France Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 13-e Irish Classic Race winners