Ridgemont Highlands’ multiple Gr1 winning stallion Canford Cliffs celebrated his first SA-bred winner when his daughter Body Electric turned on the jets to record a facile victory on her 1000m debut at a sizzling Kenilworth on Sunday.
With only seven runners from his first SA crop having seen the racecourse, Canford Cliffs, who was recently recognised by Timeform, as one of the greatest milers to grace the turf this century, looks to make a big impact.
Body Electric’s impressive pace would have thrilled the Kieswetter family after the champion farm’s exciting young Redoute’s Choice stallion Rafeef marked his second stakes winner in a matter of weeks when his son Aragosta won the Gr3 Sea Cottage Stakes at Turffontein on Saturday.
Canford Cliffs daughter Body Electric storms home under Greg Cheyne (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Bred by Ridgemont Highlands, Body Electric is out of the stakes winning Poet’s Voice mare Leaves Of Grass. The fact that she is bred to go a mile plus made her success all the more impressive as she stormed clear to win unextended by 4,50 lengths in a time of 58,93 secs.
A ‘straightforward sort’ in the words of trainer Candice Bass-Robinson, she handed her opposition a galloping lesson.
“She certainly has been forward in her work and her gallop suggested she could be competitive today. She has a lovely temperament like many of the Canford Cliffs progeny,” said a clearly impressed Ridgemont jockey Greg Cheyne, who had time to pose for the camera at the line.
The winner is raced in partnership by Ridgemnont and Wehann Smith, and went through the Cape Premier Yearling Sale ring, with the gavel falling at R300 000.
Ridgemont Highlands boss Wayne Kieswetter was on course.
“’The Canford Cliffs progeny have produced some close seconds and even a course record-breaker by a runner-up in Fairview! His second crop should be even better as we were supporting Dynasty in that first year. I’m really happy that Candice and her team trained the first locally-bred winner as she has had good success with the sire previously,”said Mr Kieswetter.
Europe’s dominant miler at three and four, Canford Cliffs won five consecutive Gr1 races over the trip. His splendid Gr1 treble of the Irish 2000 Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes (over multiple Gr1 winner Dick Turpin) and Sussex Stakes (over champion Rip Van Winkle), saw him rated the top three-year-old miler in England and Ireland.
He signed off with a second to the mighty Frankel in the Gr1 Sussex Stakes and was voted the champion older miler in Europe in 2011, receiving a Timeform rating of 133.
Retired to Coolmore Stud in 2012, the son of Tagula did shuttle duty between Ireland and Australia until his purchase by Ridgemont Highlands.
He has produced winners in over 30 countries, including more than 40 stakes perfomers.
Canford Cliffs has nine lots on the CTS De Grendel Cape Premier Yearling Sale on 6 February.
