Unbeaten Gqeberha-based flyer Direct Hit became the third East Cape raider to win the R1 million Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship this century when she maintained her impeccable four-from-four record to win the prestigious 1200m contest at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday.
Direct Hit (Richard Fourie) maintains her impeccable four-from-four record (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Saturday’s thrilled, and very relieved, conditioner Alan Greeff was also the man who saddled Silver Arc, who won under MJ Odendaal in 2003, while the late ‘Oom’ Nic Classen trained Geepee S who was ridden by Bernard Fayd’herbe when she dead-heated with On Her Toes in 2008.
But back to Saturday 31 May 2025 and Direct Hit will go down in history as the first feature winner under the banner of the new-age racing operator, Race Coast, which was launched 48 hours earlier.
The beautiful bay built on her SplashOut Gr3 Cape Nursery victory at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth earlier this year, and her recent East Cape Nursery success, when blitzing home at 5-10 to beat Elegantrix (10-1) by 1,10 lengths in a time of 68,75 secs for the 1200m.
Another Highveld raider, and a filly considered to be the major threat to the Gqeberha star, One Fine Winter (4-1) stayed on 0,30 lengths back to hold Dean Kannemeyer’s Keukenhof (66-1), who ran out of her skin to cap the quartet.
Ridgemont rider Richard Fourie has been aboard at all four of Direct Hit’s starts, and said it was ‘very special’.
“This is a dream come true. It’s mission accomplished,” added the reigning SA champion.
Hollywood Racing’s Devin Heffer, Ridgemont’s Craig Kieswetter and trainer Alan Greeff celebrate a major moment (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
A foundation stallion for the Kieswetter’s fledgeling breeding operation eight years ago, the winner’s five-time Gr1 winning stallion Canford Cliffs (Tagula), a dominant miler in Europe in his 3 and 4 year old term, marked a long overdue first Grade 1 winner.
A proud product of Ridgemont, Direct Hit is out of the six-time winning Great Britain speedball Wrecking Ball, who won the 2017 Gr3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap.
Direct Hit’s broodmare sire Great Britain is a former resident of the magnificent Ridgemont Robertson stallion barn. He raced off a peak 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), Great Britain was one of the best bred stallions in SA in his time.
Raced by Ridgemont (nominee: Craig Kieswetter) and Devin Heffer, Direct Hit took her stakes bank to R1 345 125.
