First Australian Foal for Oratorio

26th July 2007

Triple Group One winner Oratorio covered 117 mares in his first season at Coolmore Jerry's Plains last spring and his first Australian foal arrived this week at Geoff and Jann Harris’s Tooloogan Vale Farm near Scone.

A lovely bay filly foaled on July 24, she is the third foal of the Lycius mare Tis Hopeful, whose stakes-placed dam Miami Vice is a daughter of outstanding racemare and producer Stage Hit.

“She’s a lovely foal and this mare is such a good producer, she’s had early foals the last two years as well,” said Geoff Harris.

A top class and durable performer at two with four wins and two seconds from seven starts, Oratorio trained on at three to add Group One wins in the Eclipse Stakes and Irish Champion Stakes to his juvenile Group One triumph in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.

Warmly supported in Ireland, Oratorio received 152 mares in his debut season and his Northern Hemisphere foals have drawn rave reviews prompting many return bookings.

A superb looking son of Danehill, Oratorio returns to Coolmore Australia this spring for his second season at $27,500.