Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm’s successful sire Oratorio maybe out of action at the moment, but his progeny certainly aren’t!
Danehill’s triple G1 winning son had a double at Durbanville this weekend, with Oratorio sired runners winning both the first and last races held at the country-course on Saturday.

Oratorio’s daughter Honey Suite, who is from her sire’s first South African born crop of runners, made a sparkling winning debut when scoring first out over 1000m on Saturday.
Bred by Moutonshoek, and one of three winners on the card for trainer Brett Crawford, Honey Suite sauntered home to win on debut by four and three quarter lengths.

Out of the Fort Wood mare Honeycomb, Honey Suite was a R250 000 purchase from the 2016 Cape Premier Yearling Sale.

Oratorio’s second Durbanville winner on Saturday came when his son Nordic Chant picked up his second win, from just six outings, when scoring a half length win over a mile. The Nutfield Stud bred gelding cost R300 000 at last year’s Cape Premier Yearling Sale, and, like Honey Suite, is out of a mare by Fort Wood.

To date, Oratorio’s first Southern Africa foaled crop includes 16 winners notably G1 Premiers Champion Stakes second Ancestry and impressive recent winner, and stakes performer, Sequined. Another of his first local crop is Mrs O, a winner of two of her three starts to date, and nominated for the weekend’s G2 Joburg Spring F&M Challenge.

A European champion and sire of nearly 50 stakes winners the world over, Oratorio is unfortunately out of action at the moment as he battles laminitis.