Gary and Jackie Jolliffe’s Golden Touch Thoroughbred Services continue to produce talented winners from just a handful of broodmares.
Involved in the thoroughbred industry since the 1980s, the Jolliffes have bred a number of top-class gallopers namely Guiness (Gold Medallion), Imperious Star (Woolavington 2000) and Chestnuts N Pearls (Golden Slipper), as well as a number of other above average gallopers.
Both Gary and Jackie have had extensive grounding in the thoroughbred industry, with Gary having trained for 16 years in Zimbabwe, while Jackie spent time managing the Borrowdale Stud in Zimbabwe. The couple, who also bred and raced the classy G2 Sceptre Stakes winner Reflective Image, have been involved with many notable thoroughbreds over the years -with a notable highlight being involved with the globetrotting champion Ipi Tombe.
Golden Touch will be offering three classy yearlings at this year’s National Sale -a Lancaster Bomber half-sister (Lot 222) to G1 winning two-year-old Guiness, a William Longsword colt (Lot 233) from the same family as William Longsword himself, and a Vercingetorix half-brother (Lot 449) to the useful sorts Gunston and Winter With Jo.
This trio of yearlings can be viewed in Block E at the TBA complex in Germiston.
Keivan Stud’s Vanessa Williams traces her involvement in the racing industry back to days growing up when she became drawn to donkeys which arrived at the trading store where she grew up. She went on to enjoy a successful career in polo-crosse, which saw Vanessa play at the top level where she toured all of Australia, New Zealand and Zimbabwe.
She raises her horses in a valley with extreme weather conditions, resulting in tough stock being reared and raised on the farm. Among the notable horses bred by Keivan Stud were G3 Christmas Handicap winner It Is Written and the very talented galloper Baracah, to name but two. The latter was a half-brother to the very smart filly Goat -who earned over R700 000 and won the G2 Gold Circle Oaks despite sadly dying young.
Vanessa also enjoyed success at the 2021 BSA July Online Auction, selling a filly named Show Time to Corrie Lensley for R100 000, with that filly having subsequently gone on to win and finish a good third in both the G3 Pretty Polly Stakes and Listed Ruffian Stakes this season.
Keivan Stud will be offering four yearlings at this year’s National Yearling Sale -two colts by Cape Guineas winner Act Of War, best known as the sire of champion War Of Athena, and two colts by former champion sprinter, and proven G1 sire, Captain Of All.
Vanessa says of her National Sale, “I believe them to be cracking colts, although I feel that KZN bred horses are at a disadvantage with horses from the Cape at this time of year.”
The Keivan quartet can be found at Block A at the TBA complex in Germiston.
