Colour Vision

Colour Vision (foaled 22 February 2008) is a Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his win in 2012 Ascot Gold Cup. He was bred in France, sired by an American stallion out of a German mare and was trained in Britain and the United Arab Emirates. Colour Vision (foaled 22 February 2008) is a Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his win in 2012 Ascot Gold Cup. He was bred in France, sired by an American stallion out of a German mare and was trained in Britain and the United Arab Emirates. As a two-year-old he won once from four starts and was gelded at the end of the year. In 2011 he showed steady improvement when moved up to longer distances, winning three minor races and finishing third in both the Cesarewitch Handicap and the British Champions Long Distance Cup. He reached his peak as a four-year-old in the first half of 2012 when he won the Sagaro Stakes in track record time before taking the Gold Cup. He went on to finish third in the Goodwood Cup and the Prix du Cadran and was voted the Cartier Champion Stayer of 2012. Colour Vision failed to reproduce his best form in 2013, but ran well to finish fourth behind Estimate in the Gold Cup. He was retired from racing at the end of the year. Colour Vision is a grey gelding bred in France by the Capricorn Stud. As a yearling he was consigned to the Tattersalls yearling sale in October 2009 and was bought for 100,000 guineas by the trainer Mark Johnston. The colt entered the ownership of Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum the Crown Prince of Dubai, and was taken into training by Johnston at Middleham Moor in North Yorkshire. Colour Vision was sired by Rainbow Quest who won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe before becoming a very successful breeding stallion. Rainbow Quest's other progeny included Quest for Fame, Saumarez, Raintrap, Nedawi, Armiger, Spectrum and Millenary. His dam Give Me Five, from whom he inherited his grey colour, was a successful racehorse in Germany, winning the Group Three Frankfurter Stutenpreis as a three-year-old in 2004. She was descended from the German broodmare Grolldochnicht (foaled 1952) who was the female line ancestor of Gaia (Irish Oaks) and Authaal (Irish St Leger). On his racecourse debut Colour Vision started a 25/1 outsider for a maiden race over one mile at Newmarket Racecourse on 13 August and finished eleventh of the twelve runners. Viewed retrospectively, the race was one of the strongest maidens ever staged at the course as Frankel finished first ahead of Nathaniel and Genius Beast (Sandown Classic Trial). Two weeks later he contested a less competitive maiden over the same distance at Thirsk Racecourse and recorded his first success as he stayed on in the closing stages to win by half a length at odds of 18/1. In his two remaining races Colour Vision ran very poorly as he finished last in 'nurseries' (handicap races for two-year-olds) at Doncaster in September and Epsom in October. Colour Vision began his second season promisingly as he finished a close third to Brown Panther in a handicap over one and a half miles at Chester Racecourse on 4 May but then finished unplaced in handicaps over the same distance at Musselburgh and Salisbury in June. When he was stepped up in distance for a two-mile handicap at Chester in July he showed much better form and won by four and a half lengths from the four-year-old filly Never Can Tell. Six days later Colour Vision was assigned a weight of 139 pounds for a handicap over one and three quarter miles at Haydock Park and improved again. Starting the 13/8 favourite he took the lead three furlongs from the finish and drew away in the straight to win by ten and a half lengths despite being eased down in the final strides. In a handicap at Ascot Racecourse a week later he finished second to the four-year-old Keys after repeatedly veering to the left and swishing his tail in the closing stages. With his weights in handicap races rising, Colour Vision was switched to compete in weight-for-age races starting with a trip to France for the Listed Prix Michel Houyvet at Deauville Racecourse on 15 August. He finished fourth of the seven runners behind Gaily Game after again failing to keep a straight course in the closing stages. Two poor performances followed in September as he ran unplaced in a minor race at Salisbury and the Listed Stand Cup at Chester. On 3 October the colt started 11/8 second favourite for the Phil Bull Trophy, a minor weight-for-age event over at Pontefract Racecourse. Ridden by Silvestre de Sousa, who had partnered the colt in his win at Haydock, he took the lead three furlongs out and won 'readily' by two and three quarter lengths from Fire Fighter. Five days after his Pontefract win, Colour Vision carried a weight of 127 pounds in the Cesarewitch, one of Britain's biggest staying handicaps, over two and a quarter miles at Newmarket and finished third of the thirty-three runners behind Never Can Tell. Colour Vision was back on the track a week later and moved up to Group Three class for the British Champions Long Distance Cup over two miles at Ascot. With de Sousa in the saddle he was restrained in the early stages before producing a strong late run on the outside to take third place behind Fame and Glory and the favourite Opinion Poll.