Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm’s well established sire Oratorio has been enjoying a good run of form of late.
The triple G1 winning champion has had three South African winners in the past two days and enjoyed a notable double at the Vaal on Thursday.

Oratorio runners Mardi Gras and Regal Graduation won Thursday’s fourth and fifth races respectively, with both runners trained by Johan Janse Van Vuuren and ridden by Anton Marcus.
The striking four-year-old Mardi Gras justified tote favouritism when he downed a field which included G2 Joburg Spring Challenge winner Wonderwall to land an assessment plate over 1200m.
The Avontuur bred gelding, who scored a cosy one length win in Thursday’s contest, has now won three of nine outings with his previous efforts including a close up fifth, to subsequent G1 Vodacom Durban July winner Do It Again, in last season’s G2 Daisy Guineas.

Mardi Gras was the joint top lot sold off the 2016 Emperors Palace Select Yearling Sale where he fetched R3.2 million.

His paternal half-sister Regal Graduation dug down deep to beat male rival, and tote favourite, Carbon Atom, by 0.4 of a length in a middle stakes over 1200m on Thursday. That Oratorio filly has now won three times and had previously finished fourth in the WSB Grand Series Consolation at her previous outing.
Out of the Fort Wood mare Royal Aspen, the four-year-old was a R250 000 buy from the 2016 Cape Premier Yearling Sale.

Their sire Oratorio also made waves at the first day of the 2018 Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale on Thursday.
His daughter She’s Complete (Lot 962) was the top lot sold on Thursday, when that Listed Oak Tree Juvenile Fillies Turf Stakes winner was knocked down to BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe on behalf of Yuesheng Zhang for €350 000. Consigned by The Castlebridge Consignment, the mare sold in foal to champion Sea The Stars.
Donohoe said of his purchase, “”Mr Zhang is over in Japan at the moment but we thought thatthis mare was very nice physically and she was a 2-year-old stakes winner on the turf.  Her Golden Horn yearling sold for 200,000gns and has gone to John Gosden.”

Oratorio, whose G1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion winning son Van Halen runs in Saturday’s G2 Cape Merchants, is no stranger to siring high class fillies, with his previous notable female standouts including such high class performers as Banchee, Temida, Cherry Collect, and Viztoria.

A dual champion sire in Italy, the Danehill son has more than 90 black type performers to his name, and over 50 stakes winners to his name.