Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm’s champion Oratorio has made a superb start to his stud career in South Africa, and was represented by his 11th winner (from his first South African born crop of runners) when his 2yo son Nordic Chant won in open company at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Bred by the Nutfield Stud, and trained by Vaughan Marshall, Nordic Chant stayed on strongly to record his first victory over a mile at Kenilworth.
The colt, who had been running behind the likes of G3 Avontuur Umkhomazi Stakes winner Al Mariachi and Langerman winner Tap O’ Noth, was a R300 000 buy from last year’s Cape Premier Yearling Sale.

Nordic Chant was not the only son of the triple G1 winning Oratorio to catch the eye this weekend –Oratorio’s top class son Ancestry confirmed his status as one of the best two-year-olds around with a strong finishing second in Sunday’s G1 Premiers Champion Stakes at Greyville.

Trained by Joey Ramsden, the Avontuur bred Ancestry has now won or placed in all of his five outings, and has been runner up in three feature races, including the G1 Premiers Champion Stakes and G2 Golden Horseshoe.

Oratorio, a dual champion sire in Italy and responsible for more than 40 stakes winners the world over, has made a scintillating start to his South African stud career, with other notable first crop winners including feature race winner Arianos Bagofgold, debut winner Mrs O and stakes performers Sacred Oration, Sequined and Misterioso.

The son of Danehill will be represented by six lots at the 2017 National Two Year Old Sale.