Lammerskraal Stud horses have always been sought after at the Sales and they have a small but select draft of six colts at the forthcoming CTS Cape Premier Yearling Sale.

Some will be surprised to see one of their best mares, Strawberry Lane, being represented by a Seventh Rock colt.

Jallad mare Strawberry Lane has produced the dual Guineas winner Solo Traveller alongside a number of other multiple winners, including Strawberry Ice. The latter went on to produce Flying Ice, who won a Grade 2 and a Listed race for Sally’s trainer husband Neil Bruss.

However, Seventh Rock is not the most fashionable sire, despite having produced Grade 1-winner Guiness, dual Grade 1-winner Seventh Plain and Grade 1 runner up Rockin’ Russian.

But, Stud manager Sally Bruss explained that for anybody who was a fan of line-breeding, like she was, it was an exceptional mating, as it produced no fewer than six close up ancestors who were either duplicated or triplicated.

The USA-bred mare Flower Bowl is in both Seventh Rock’s and Strawberry Lane’s 6^th generation. Flower Bowl is the dam of His Majesty, who is the sire of Danehill’s dam Razyana (Danehill is the sire of Seventh Rock’s father Rock Of Gibraltar). Flower Bowl is the grandam of Whiskey Road, who produced the Australian-bred Strawberry Fair, the grandam of Strawberry Lane.

Australian-bred sire Century is in the fourth generation of both Seventh Rock and Strawberry Lane as he is grandsire of both of their dams, the New Zealand-bred Ruby Clipper and the Australian-bred Taineberry respectively.

The USA-bred Red God is in Seventh Rock’s sixth generation, being on the sire line of Ruby Clipper’s dam, the Australian-bred Miss Clipper. Red God is in Strawberry Lane’s fourth generation as the sire of Jallad’s father, Blushing Groom.

Northern Dancer appears in Seventh Rock’s male line twice, both in his fifth generation, and in the sixth generation of Strawberry Lane’s male line.

The British-bred Tudor Minstrel appears in both Seventh Rock’s and Strawberry Lane’s male lines in the sixth generation.

The Australian-bred Todman appears in Seventh Rock’s sixth generation as the damsire of Ruby, the dam of Ruby Clipper’s sire Rubiton. Todman appears twice in Strawberry Lane’s fifth generation. He is the damsire of Rainbeam, the dam of Taineberry’s sire Centaine, and he is also the sire of Taineberry’s grandam Avellino.

Sally admitted she was hoping the result of this mating would be a filly, as she would have had immediate paddock value. However, instead Lammerskraal have got a strapping colt, lot 149, “a lovely specimen who is perfect for the Sale physically.” He is sure to attract some interest and Dennis Drier might be one of the bidders, having trained both Guiness and Seventh Plain.

Strawberry Ice, who finished second in both the Grade 2 KRA Fillies Guineas and Prix du Cap, among other Graded places, has a colt by Dynasty (lot 148). Sally described this half-brother to Flying Ice as a “smashing colt.”

Sally said Lammerskraal’s best looking lot was lot 44, who is by Judpot out of twice-winning Western Winter mare, La Belle Helene. She described him as “magnificent, very attractive.”

Sally had been hoping for a good Cape Summer campaign from the Dennis Bosch-trained KZN raider Billy Silver as Lammerskraal have a half-brother to him on the sale by Duke Of Marmalade. However, nothing went right for the promising Billy Silver and Bosch decided to transport him home to fight another day, although he did emphasise the Silvano colt had lost none of the ability which had seen him winning his first two races impressively. Sally described this Duke Of Marmalade colt (lot 252) as “deep and muscular, like Billy Silver”, despite being a November foal.

Lot 36 will attract a lot of attention being by champion sire Silvano out of Grade 3 runner up Izora. The latter is by Western Winter out of the champion racehorse Icy Air. Izora is a sister or half-sister to three other stakes performers.

Lot 213 is an interesting colt being by Captain Al and the first foal of unraced Galileo mare Cantabella, who is a full-sister to Pretty Perfect, who won the Group 3 Munster Oaks in Ireland as well as a Listed race. Sally described this one as having “perfect conformation but he is a bit small.”

By David Thiselton