Ridgemont’s five-time Gr1 winning stallion Canford Cliffs maintained his top-class form when his daughter Direct Hit, one of this term’s most exciting 2yo prospects, kept her impeccable record intact with a facile victory in the R175 000 Listed East Cape Nursery at Fairview on Good Friday.
Richard Fourie takes it easy as Direct Hit makes it three from three (Pic – Pauline Herman)
Running fresh off her victory in the R1 million SplashOut Gr3 Cape Of Good Hope Nursery at her second outing at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Cape Derby day in February, Direct Hit hardly worked up a sweat as she put her seven rivals to bed in the 66,66 secs that she took to complete the 1200m of the headliner on the public holiday.
Held tight by Ridgemont jockey Richard Fourie, Direct Hit (3-10) extended inside the final 200m to beat stablemate Silva City (50-1) by 4,75 lengths, with fellow Ridgemont-Canford Cliffs flagbearer Instaworthy (16-1) a further quarter length back in third.
One of four winners on the sunny afternoon for the Greeff-Fourie combination, Direct Hit achieved the fourth Nursery victory of the year for the champion yard.
SA Champion jockey Richard Fourie has ridden many 2yo winners and said that the exciting aspect is that Direct Hit is doing things easy and in no tearaway precocious juvenile.
Ridgemont representatives Craig Kieswetter and Craig Carey were on track to lead the winner in.
Carey noted that the Canford Cliffs cross with Danzig line mares had proved a winner, and confirmed that all four Great Britain mares purchased by the leading breeders had produced winners when crossed with the extraordinarily consistent sire.
Direct Hit is out of the six-time winning Great Britain speedball Wrecking Ball, who won the 2017 Gr3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap.
And Direct Hit is another remarkable example of precocious speed from Ridgemont resident Canford Cliffs (Tagula), who is enjoying a super season. He 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.
Richard Hughes and Canford Cliffs celebrate at Royal Ascot (Pic- British Champions Series)
As indicated by Craig Carey, Direct Hit’s broodmare sire is a former resident of the magnificent Ridgemont Robertson stallion barn in Great Britain, who 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). As a son of July Cup winner Green Desert (by Danzig), was one of the best bred stallions in SA in his time.
Direct Hit is now a winner of 3 from 3 for stakes of R642 500.
The Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on 31 May could well be on the radar!
Gavin Smith and Craig Zackey enjoyed a treble on the afternoon, while Kelly Mitchley saddled a double.
