Bright new start for Canford Cliffs with impressive Kenilworth winner

Canford Cliffs, who made a permanent move to the Kieswetter family's Ridgemont Highlands Stud in 2018, claimed his first South African-bred winner in impressive style at Kenilworth on Sunday.

The outstanding miler, who went on to collect five consecutive Group 1s from the Irish Guineas to the Queen Anne, moved to Coolmore Stud after his final outing when second to Frankel in their highly publicised Sussex Stakes clash in 2011.

He has managed 18 worldwide stakes winners, the best known of which is probably the Coronation Cup Stakes runner-up Salouen, while he was also a regular shuttler to Australia.

Australian import Fish River was one to have already made an impression for Canford Cliffs in South Africa and he has 65 foals registered in his first crop.

Ridgemont owns Body Electric, a filly who came up against five rivals in a five-furlong juvenile maiden plate, and could not have done it any more easily for the Candice Bass-Robinson stable, cruising four and a half lengths clear in the hands of Greg Cheyne.

“The Canford Cliffs progeny have produced some close seconds and even a course record-breaker by a runner-up in Fairview," the stud's head Wayne Kieswetter told the Sporting Post.

"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."

The win comes as a boost ahead of South Africa's keynote Cape Premier Yearling Sale on February 6, where Ridgemont Highlands consigns eight of Canford Cliffs' nine catalogued lots.

Canford Cliffs, a son of Tagula, was an inspired £50,000 purchase by Peter Doyle Bloodstock from Redpender Stud at the 2008 Doncaster St Leger Sale.

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