FILLIES by the deceased Horse Chestnut are in high demand and Gary and Jackie Jolliffe of Golden Touch Thoroughbreds have big hopes for young Gold Image, who bears a beautiful resemblance to her legendary sire.

Gold Image (Lot 195) will be passing through the auctioneer’s ring at the CTS Select Yearling Sale at Emperors Palace on 15 April and Gary Jolliffe commented: “She is out of a full-sister to Reflective Image,  also a three-part sister in blood to Gold Prospector who won three of his first four races before unfortunate injury brought an end to his racing career.”

Also from Golden Touch is Lot 182, Sacred Flame, a colt by Oratorio from Tinder Box, a half-brother to Gr1 winner Guiness and eight-time winner November Rain.

“Ours are classy yearlings and we look forward to showing them to clients next week. Often big race winners come from small crops,” Jolliffe said.

Similarly serious about his yearlings and his farm is Hanno Joubert of La Berg (established in 2008), which lies at the foot of the Langeberg mountain range, close to Champion Breeders Klawervlei  Stud in the Breede River Valley.

The well-travelled Joubert, who worked a spell at Klawervlei under John Koster and also spent time at various racing and breeding operations in Ireland, the US, Australia and New Zealand, houses 90 mares at La Berg. He has set his sights on being progressively more competitive as a stud concern.

La Berg, who recently acquired Rebel King as a stallion from Klawervlei, have two colts by Oratorio (IRE) at the CTS Sale and Joubert told: “They’re nice colts, well-balanced and well worth a look.”

Lee Scribante’s Piemonte Stud is represented by two imported fillies, one by former Australian Champion Sprinter Choisir and another by the recently deceased Hussonet.  They are described as, “altogether different types. The Choisir filly is stocky and strong, the Hussonet is nice and scopy. They’re smart, we’re excited about both.”

Winterbach Stud’s Hendrik Winterbach, who put himself forever in the history books when he bred and raised exported South African superstars Perfect Promise and Irridescence, said: “Just the memory of those fillies keeps me going and hoping for another!”

Winterbach’s pair at this Sale is Lot 73, a filly by VAR from Ilha Da Rock he described as, “a nice filly with strong quarters, she’s the first foal of a mare by Rock Of Gibraltar”; and a son of Judpot (Lot 137) who is “athletic and stands high on his legs.”

Among the Winterbach (agent) offerings are Symphony (Lot 118), a filly by Oratorio from Mysterious Land, by Badger Land. “She has a wonderful pedigree, great paddock value,” he noted.

Jako Visser of Pecan Hill Stud is another relative newcomer who breeds near Hartswater about 120km from Kimberley and said: “The fact that two of ours have been accepted to a sale of this quality means they are yearlings of quality so buyers shouldn’t ignore us because we are a small operation. We try our best too.

“ John Kramer came to look at them and he said Collateral Love (Lot 3), looks a lot like his sire, Jay Peg. Collateral Love still has some growing to do, but he should develop into a nice horse. Lot 105 is Lake Autumn, by Gimmethegreenlight.        He has more bulk at this stage, with some scope. Both come from good families. I like to raise my horses athletic, with not a lot of fat on them,” said Visser.