Highlands Stud, Part of Ridgemont. have acquired the Southern Hemisphere covering rights of Canford Cliffs (IRE) to join the farm’s Stallion roster in 2018.
The magnificent Canford Cliffs
The diverse Highlands Stallion band, that includes such high-class sires as Dynasty and Pathfork, was recently boosted by the news of the arrival of Redoute’s Choice outstanding Gr1 winning son, Rafeef, and the news of the well-bred star Canford Cliffs is set to spark plenty of interest.
Coolmore sire Canford Cliffs(IRE) was a 5 time Gr1 winner and a top two year old of his year.
Canford Cliffs is by Taufan’s Gr1 winning son Tagula out of Mrs Marsh (Marju), an unraced Broodmare of the Year in Ireland in 2011.
And he certainly boasts the track credentials to go with his pedigree!
A Champion older miler in Europe in 2011, he was top rated 3yo miler in England & Ireland in 2010.
He won 7 races at 2 to 4 years from 1200m to a mile, including the Gr1 Irish 2000 Guineas, Gr1 Lockinge Stakes, Gr1 Queen Anne Stakes, Gr1 St James’s Palace Stakes, Gr1 Sussex Stakes, and the Gr2 Coventry Stakes, Ascot. He was also placed second in the Gr1 Sussex Stakes, Goodwood,
Canford Cliffs
Canford Cliffs will stand duty at Highlands Stud in 2018.
“We are extremely excited to have acquired a horse of this calibre who has already produced Group winners internationally. It is worth noting that his highly respected Champion trainer Richard Hannon Snr said of Canford Cliffs – ‘He’s the best I’ve ever had’. That’s an endorsement if we ever needed one,” said a spokesman for the leading stud.
Canford Cliffs sired 35 first crop winning 2yo’s in 2015, second only to prolific Kris S juvenile winner producer, Kodiac! His virility and fertility are first-class.
The timing 0f the announcement on the eve of Royal Ascot is appropriate as Canford Cliffs made a name for himself in that very arena – winning, as we already noted, the Gr2 Coventry Stakes, the Gr1 St James’s Palace Stakes and the Gr1 Queen Anne Stakes.
Of interest locally will be the fact that the recent East Cape Derby winner Dorset Noble was the first Australian bred stakes-winner for Canford Cliffs, who shuttled to Blue Gum Farm in Victoria for five seasons.
Dorset Noble was a $60,000 Inglis Premier purchase for World Wide Bloodstock from the draft of Erinvale Thoroughbreds. Lightly raced, Dorset Noble has two wins and two seconds from just four starts.
