Ridgemont’s red-hot five-time Grade 1 winning stallion Canford Cliffs maintained his extraordinary season with his fourth juvenile winner from just four starters when his clearly talented daughter Hot Sauce did some low-flying on debut at Fairview on Friday.
Umfula (Richard Fourie) delivers an impressive win (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The versatile sire followed up with an eye-catching winner over ground at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on the Royal Raceday on Sunday.
Canford Cliff’s ability to introduce speed and stamina was again to the fore as his 3yo son Umfula impressed with a cracking post-maiden effort, winning the 2200m C Stakes in the fashion of a progressive sort on Sunday.
Ridden by Richard Fourie for the Brett & James Crawford team, Umfula rocketed home to beat Ahead Of The Facts by 2,75 lengths.
The impressive winner was bred by Ridgemont and is out of the thrice-winning Western Winter mare Cool River, a winning producer, including the Gr2 Igugu Stakes winner Beating Wings (Rafeef).
On Friday, the Canford Cliffs spectrum of versatility was demonstrated again – this time with a 2yo filly over the sprint track.
Bred by Ridgemont, who have struck a vein of gold with the Canford Cliffs – Great Britain cross, Hot Sauce stalked Supreme Leader until drawing clear to beat Cape raider Blown Away by 2,75 lengths in a time of 68 secs under Ridgemont rider Richard Fourie.
“She cantered down and felt like a professional – a filly who could win anywhere in SA,” observed a clearly impressed South African champion jockey. Trainer Alan Greeff endorsed Fourie’s views and said that the youngster had shown good work in the build-up.
With just a handful of runners, Canford Cliffs is stalking Querari and Gimmethegreenlight on the National 2yo Sires Log, and in fact beats all-comers with his AEPR of R213 100!
His cross with Great Britain mares has been something of a talking point, with unbeaten SplashOut Gr3 Cape Nursery winner Direct Hit and Instaworthy both boasting similar lineage in recent months.
Hot Sauce (Richard Fourie) wins on debut at Fairview (Pic – Pauline Herman)
Hot Sauce is out of the three-time winning Great Britain mare, Queen Laurie and is another remarkable example of precocious speed from Canford Cliffs (Tagula), who was Europe’s dominant miler at three and four, winning 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 in his year.
A former resident of the illustrious Ridgemont stallion barn in the Highlands days, Great Britain had a TFR of 118 and won the Al Quoz Sprint, subsequently a Gr1 contest which has been won by stars like J J The Jet Plane, Ortensia and Shea Shea), and as a son of July Cup winner Green Desert (by Danzig), was one of the best bred stallions in SA in his time.
Green Desert has had a tremendous influence on the modern-day stud book and was an outstanding sire of sires, his sons including such world class sires as Invincible Spirit, Volksraad, Oasis Dream and full brother, Cape Cross.
Great Britain, who originally stood in New Zealand and produced winners in Australia, boasts a female line which is equally illustrious. His dam Park Appeal was a Champion at 2 when her wins included the Gr1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and Gr1 Chevely Park Stakes.Like Park Express (dam of hot sire New Approach) and Princess Athena (dam of leading sire Acclamation), Park Appeal is a daughter of top sprinter Ahonoora.
Great Britain was a direct descendant of one history’s greatest ever mares – Pretty Polly. A winner of 22 of her 24 outings, Pretty Polly’s victories included the 1000 Guineas, Oaks, St Leger, Champion Stakes and Coronation Cup. Her descendants include leading sires Nearctic, Great Nephew, Preamble II and Sybil’s Nephew.
