Direct Hit winning the Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship (Pauline Herman Photography)
The former Allan Greef-trained Canford Cliffs filly Direct Hit has been exported and is now trained by the former top Irish jockey Johnny Murtagh.
The horse is still under the same ownership as she was officially owned out here by Ridgemont and Devin Heffer and is now officially owned by Barnane Stud and Hollywood Racing, with Ridgemont and Barnane being the respective stud farms of the Kieswetter family in South Africa and Ireland, and Hollywood Racing being the racing banner for the Heffers of Hollywoodbets.
Johnny Murtagh trains out 0f Fox Covert Stables at The Curragh.
Direct Hit won her first five starts being trained out of Allan Greeff’s Fairview stables in the East Cape and that included the Gr 3 Splashout Cape Of Good Hope Nursery at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, the Listed East Cape Nursery at Fairview and the Gr 1 Allan Robertson at Hollywoodbets Scottsville.
She was beaten for the first time in her last start on December 6 at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth in the Gr 3 WSB Southern Cross Stakes over 1000m, but it was still a good effort because she was 0,5kg worse off than weight for age with the winner, the subsequent Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint winner Asiye Phambile, and she was only beaten 2,60 lengths into sixth place.
Direct Hit has been entered into the Gr 2 King George Qatar Stakes over five furlongs at the Glorious Goodwood meeting on July 31.
Direct Hit was also bred by Ridgemont, so her success has been a big boost for the Kieswetters breeding operation too.
