On what was a big weekend for Varsfontein Stud’s resident sires, the farm’s blue blooded stallion Judpot made his presence felt when his Ascot Stud bred son Coral Fever won the G1 The Premier’s Champions Challenge at Turffontein on Saturday.

In the process, Coral Fever became the fourth G1 winner for his A P Indy sired sire Judpot, whose other top level winners included Equus Champion Along Came Polly, Forest Indigo and Juxtapose.

Coral Fever, one of two graded winners on the day for trainer Robbie Sage, accounted for Triple Crown winner Abashiri by a neck under the urgings of jockey Muzi Yeni, with Silvan Star back in third. Other notable gallopers beaten by the five-year-old gelding in the R4 000 000 feature included dual G1 Empress Club Stakes winner Nother Russia, 2017 Champions Challenge winner Deo Juvente, Equus Champion French Navy, and dual Horse Of The Year Legal Eagle.

The gelding, who pushed his earnings to R3 445 650 with Saturday’s win, had now six wins to his name with Coral Fever’s other notable scores including the 2018 G2 Colorado King Stakes and 2017 G3 Jubilee Handicap.

Coral Fever, a R130 000 buy from the 2014 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale, has now won or placed in seven graded features, and was third in the 2017 G1 Sansui Summer Cup.

Other notable runners for Judpot this weekend included Friday’s G2 Daisy Guineas second Sniper Snot (bred on the same Judpot/Rich Man’s Gold cross as Coral Fever), G2 Gerald Rosenberg Stakes second Bi Pot, and the promising two-year-old filly Nous Voila. The latter was beaten just a short head when second in Sunday’s Listed Perfect Promise Sprint.

A former Equus Outstanding Stallion, Judpot is a half-brother to outstanding sire Kingmambo and dual French classic winner East Of The Moon.