Leading thoroughbred nursery, Ridgemont Highlands, will be offering a very imposing draft at April’s Bloodstock South Africa National Yearling Sale.
The farm’s National consignment will be offering yearlings by such prominent G1 winning stallions as Canford Cliffs, Danon Platina, Gimmethegreenlight, Rafeef, and the sadly deceased Var.
Ridgemont Highlands will also be acting as agent for yearling sired by reigning champion South African sire Gimmethegreenlight.
The farm’s red hot resident sire Rafeef, whose first crop was headed by the graded stakes winning pair of Aragosta and William Robertson, has five yearlings on offer:
Lot 3: Filly, Closing Happiness (Rafeef x Kalami) – Pedigree
A half-sister to 3 winners, including this season’s G1 WSB SA Derby contender With Pleasure, this filly is out of G1 SA Fillies Classic runner up Kalami, herself a daughter of highly successful broodmare sire Daylami.
The well-bred Kalami, who was produced by a stakes winning daughter of champion sire Al Mufti, is a half-sister to the twice winning granddam of this season’s G1 Pongracz Cape Flying Championship winner Bohica.
Lot 5: Colt, Spread Your Wings (Rafeef x Kelly’s Olympics) – Pedigree
From one of the best families in the stud book, this blue-blooded colt is a half-brother to seven winners, headed by the graded stakes winning two-year-olds Olympic Owen and Speedy Suzy.
From the same female line as multiple champion US sire Exclusive Native, this colt is out of a speedy, G3 placed daughter of breed shaping sire Kingmambo. She is bred on a similar cross to Australian G1 winner Gallica -sired by Rafeef’s legendary sire Redoute’s Choice out of a daughter of Kingmambo.
Lot 24: Filly, Lady Chatterley (Rafeef x Let Me Love You) – Pedigree
From the same female line as such graded stakes winning fillies as Keen Observer and Our Girl, this filly is out of a full-sister to G1 SA Derby winner Seal and half-sister to the stakes winning pair of Fifty Cents and Madonna. The same female line as Met winner Polo Classic and former South African Horse Of The Year Quarrytown.
Lot 71: Filly, My Best Friend (Rafeef x My Friend Lee) – Pedigree
A direct descendant of the mighty La Troienne, this filly is out of the very smart racemare My Friend Lee. The latter won six times including the G3 Magnolia Handicap, and My Friend Lee hails from a top-class female line. Her dam is a half-sister to speedy, stakes winning two-year-old Sir Shirley, and My Friend Lee’s immediate relatives include former US star two-year-old Officer, South African champion Splendid Ann, successful South African sire Complete Warrior and G1 Santa Anita Derby winner Splendid Spruce.
Lot 135: Filly, Godspeed (Rafeef x Royal Trip) – Pedigree
Bred on the same Rafeef/Trippi cross as G3 winner William Robertson, this filly is out of a stakes-winning half-sister to G1 H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes runner up Copper Mountain.
This filly, whose first two dams were sired by Trippi and Fort Wood respectively, sports Jallad’s G3 winning daughter Princess Faberge, herself a half-sister to G1 winning filly and top-class producer Kournikova, as her third dam, with Princess Faberge herself the dam of G3 Algoa Cup winner Forest Of Dean.
Ridgemont’s five-time G1 winning sire Canford Cliffs has made a very promising start with his first South African bred crop of two-year-olds this season, and the former star miler has two lots on offer:
Lot 209: Colt, Precipeace (Canford Cliffs x Takingthepeace) – Pedigree
This colt is the first foal of outstanding racemare Takingthepeace who won all of the G1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic, G2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas and G3 Victory Moon Stakes.
Takingthepeace, in turn, is out of smart racemare Lisa Anne who was runner up in the G3 Sycamore Sprint and third in the G1 Empress Club Stakes. The family of G1 winners African Appeal and Brave Mary.
Lot 355: Filly, Secret Identity (Canford Cliffs x Dinesen) – Pedigree
This filly is out of a stakes-placed, four time winning half-sister to no fewer than six black type horses headed by G1 SA Classic winner Divine Jury and the stakes winning dam of last season’s G3 Champagne Stakes victress Phil’s Dancer.
Her granddam, a daughter of champion sire Al Mufti, won four and finished second in the G1 Allan Robertson Fillies Championship and this is the family of champion fillies Cherry On The Top, Royal Aproval and Summer Pudding.
Ridgemont will also be offering two lots, one as agent, by reigning champion South African sire Gimmethegreenlight at the sale:
Lot 345: Colt, Meant To Be (Gimmethegreenlight x Cuvee Brut) – Pedigree
This colt is out of talented G3 Prix Du Cap winner Cuvee Brut, who finished second in the G2 Southern Cross Stakes and third in the G2 Sceptre Stakes. His twice winning granddam is a half-sister to former East Cape star Ziplock, and, further back, this is the family of the very talented Fly By Night.
Lot 76: Colt, Barbaresco (Gimmethegreenlight x Negroamaro) – Pedigree
A full-brother to this season’s high-class three-year-old Outofthedarkness, this colt is out of G3 Fillies Mile winner and G1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic/G1 Woolavington 2000 runner up Negroamaro, a daughter of multiple champion broodmare sire Fort Wood.
The Gimmethegreenlight/Fort Wood cross has produced a plethora of good horses including graded stakes winners Green Pepper, Hack Green and Second Base.
Japanese champion Danon Platina, the only son of legendary stallion Deep Impact to retire to stud in South Africa, has a single lot here:
Lot 9: Colt, Maneki Neko (Danon Platina x Kindly Kat) – Pedigree
A half-brother to four winners, including the G1 placed stakes winner Amsterdam, this colt is out of a four time winning daughter of outstanding broodmare sire Machiavellian. The latter is damsire of numerous top-class performers including top stallions Shamardal, Dark Angel and Zoffany. This colt hails from the immediate family of group winning two-year-olds Full Extent and Polish Laughter.
Now deceased star sire Var, whose progeny include such champions as Variety Club, Vardy, Val De Ra and Via Africa, has a single yearling on sale:
Lot 438: Colt, Open Highway (Var x It’s My Life) – Pedigree
A three-parts brother to Var’s stakes placed son Viva La Var, this colt is out of a Silvano half-sister to graded stakes winners Live Life and Cold As Ice, with the latter also enjoying success in Britain. This colt’s dam It’s My Life also numbers the dam of this season’s highly promising two-year-old Cliff Top as a half-sister, and his granddam Viva is a G3 Champagne Stakes winning dam of top-class sire National Assembly.
