The undefeated in two starts Easy Tiger crowned a royal weekend for the Ridgemont team and their Grade 1 Computaform Sprint winning Redoute’s Choice sire Rafeef, who celebrated four winners over three regions and two different racing surfaces from Friday evening through Saturday.
Easy Tiger roars under Richard Fourie (Pic – JC Photos)
Ridgemont jockey Richard Fourie got his first feel of the exciting Mike de Kock-trained Rafeef filly Easy Tiger, who stormed to her second consecutive win at Turffontein on Saturday.
Raced by Ridgemont and Devin Heffer, Easy Tiger quickened and ran on strongly to beat Glastonbury. She was green in the run to the line and jockey Richard Fourie had to change his hold and give her a straightening reminder, but the win was impressive all the same.
“She’s quite spunky, but she travelled well and picked them up quite nicely. She’s a nice filly, a good mover,” said Fourie.
Champion trainer Mike de Kock clearly has a soft spot for the filly.
“Easy Tiger is still very naughty. She has good acceleration and the further she goes, the better she’ll be. It’s three from three for our association (with Ridgemont and partners) and I’m sure everyone is happy. Julia Kieswetter (from Ridgemont) is here, she is the one responsible for all these youngsters.”
Julia Kieswetter noted that she was currently working with about 80 young horses on the Kieswetter family’s pre-training farm in Wellington.
Despite her previous winning rider’s encouraging observations that she should go a mile, Easy Tiger is bred to fly, being a daughter of champion Redoute’s Choice’ outstanding Ridgemont-based Grade 1 star Rafeef, out of the four-time winning Where’s That Tiger mare, Tiger’s Touch. She is a half to the speedy Dynasty four-time winning mare, Great Cat.
Ridgemont’s Julia Kieswetter leads in Easy Tiger with the De Kock team (Pic – JC Photos)
Easy Tiger was one of three winners for Rafeef on Saturday, with Mountain High and Golden Destiny winning at Turffontein and Hollywoodbets Kenilworth respectively.
Three-year-old Golden Destiny looks decidedly progressive and made it back to back wins when he won the Summer Country Championship 1200 Final on Saturday.
The Dean Kannemeyer trained gelding swooped late, under Craig Zackey, before going on to win a shade cosily by just under half a length. The lightly raced Golden Destiny has won three of just nine starts, the victories coming in his last five outings, to give one an idea of his improvement.
Consistent three-year-old Mountain High got off the mark when she won a Maiden Plate for Sean Tarry and Gavin Lerena at Turffontein on Saturday. The daughter of Rafeef, who was bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, is out of the Master Of My Fate mare Oh Mercy Me.
Under the lights at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Friday evening, the 6yo Rafeef mare Drive By lived up to her name when flashing past late to down her opponents in a Class 5 1200m contest and register her sixth career victory in cavalier style. Out of the Australian-bred Hussonet mare Spitfire Lady, Drive By has proven versatile and consistent.
South Africa’s Leading First Season Sire of 2020-2021, Rafeef has a single lot on offer at the BSA Cape Yearling Sale, and 17 lots on offer at the CRS Premier Yearling Sale on 13 and 14 March.
There was also champagne being opened North of the Limpopo when yet another Ridgemont stallion registered his 27th black type winner. Canford Cliffs’ son Action Zone won the Listed Ipi Tombe Stake over a mile at Borrowdale on Sunday.
In the process, the Thomas Mason-trained five-year-old made it four wins from his last five starts.
His five-time Gr1 winning sire Canford Cliffs, who has enjoyed a flurry of early 2yo winners, looks to have another smart potential feature performer to his name, in Tenango, who made it back-to-back wins in the final race at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday.
Tenango has won three of his last four starts, and is out of the Trippi mare Tripadvisor.
Ridgemont’s five-time Grade 1 winning sire Canford Cliffs has two lots on offer at the BSA Cape Yearling Sale, and a single lot on the CRS Premier Yearling Sale.
