Triple G1 winner and successful sire Oratorio has died. The son of Danehill was 23 years old at the time of his passing.
He was put down on Thursday afternoon after a decision was taken to put Oratorio out of his misery.
Described as a “gentleman and an equine athlete of the highest order,” Oratorio was a G1 winner at two and three.
The bay won four of seven starts at two, with Oratorio’s juvenile victories headed by a stirring triumph in the 2004 G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.
After three, Oratorio, after finishing fourth in the G1 2000 Guineas and runner-up in the G1 Irish equivalent, finished unplaced in the G1 The Derby before running third in the G1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
He then went on to capture both the G1 Coral-Eclipse and G1 Irish Champion Stakes. In landing the Eclipse, Oratorio accounted for the likes of Motivator and Starcraft, while his Irish Champion Stakes triumph came at the expense of Motivator, with Alexander Goldrun, Azamour and Grey Swallow further back in running.
Oratorio retired to stud having won six of 15 starts for earnings of more than one million pounds.

Twice Champion Sire in Italy, Oratorio sired more than 60 stakes winners, with his tally including Military Attack (Hong Kong Horse Of The Year in 2012-2013) and fellow G1 winning champions Banchee, Biz The Nurse, and Beethoven.
Other notable runners sired by Oratorio included the likes of Mourinho (G1 Underwood Stakes), Temida (Grosser Preis von Bayern), and Cherry Collect. The latter, Italy’s Champion 3YO of 2012, won both the G2 Italian Oaks and G3 Italian 1000 Guineas in 2012.
The son of Danehill also enjoyed success in South Africa, where his runners included Equus Champion Canadian Summer and G1 Gold Medallion/G1 Mercury Sprint winner Van Halen.
At the time of his passing, Oratorio had been responsible for 852 winners with his offspring banking more than $70 million in prize money.
Oratorio also enjoyed success as a broodmare sire. His daughter New Plays produced group winners Dolce Strega and Epona Plays, while New Plays’ stakes placed daughter Bumbasina is the dam of Amelia’s Jewel (G1 Northerly Stakes).
By the same sire as such star stallions as Redoute’s Choice, Fastnet Rock, Dansili and Exceed And Excel, Oratorio was produced by the winning Vaguely Noble mare Mahrah.