In Action. Oratorio was a top class racehorse
Former Coolmore stallion Oratorio completed the next phase of his incredible journey when he took up residence at Avontuur Estate near Somerset West on Friday.
The exciting multiple Gr1 winning son of Danehill, who has completed his mandatory quarantine period at Kenilworth, will stand alongside the sensational Var to give leading breeders Avontuur an ominously powerful two pronged attack on the silverware of South African horseracing.
King
Var is the man in possession and the king of Avontuur.
The superb son of Forest Wildcat greeted the new arrival with some trepidation and circumspection on Friday. Besides producing our current horse of the year, Var has every reason to be full of himself. He leads the national sires tables of 2yo’s by stakes as well as 3yo’s by average earnings per runner.
Avontuur General Manager Pippa Mickleburgh says Oratorio’s arrival has caused a stir and likened the experience to having a new baby in the house.
The Avontuur set up is a little different to other studs. They have one block of stables and the stallions are thus close to all the action. The importance of a slow and careful introductory period for any new stallion is thus vital.
Territorial
Although the farm itself is large, Pippa explained that the area around and next to the stables is tight, so meticulous planning was required so as not to stress Oratorio unduly. And obviously also not upset Var!
“Stallions are very territorial and Var has been the main man for a good few years. So at the moment they are opposite each other in the stables, but Oratorio is out in the big ring away from Var whilst he settles and we get to know him,” said Pippa.
She said everything had gone smoothly, although Var was a bit put out on day one and she had thus been very careful to give him plenty of attention, and of course his favourites, Woolworth’s Polo mints.
Top Class! Met winner River Jetez may visit Oratorio
Apparently Oratorio shares the expensive sweet tooth, and is crazy about apples too.
On the commercial side, Pippa explained that Oratorio’s fee would only be announced in early March. She said he was already booked to 75 mares and expected him to cover 120 in total.
Mother Love
Some of the prospective mums scheduled to visit Oratorio include the Gr1 placed Jet Trail, the Gr1 winner All Afire, Mother Russia’s full sister Baltic Beauty, Gr1 winner Sarabande (dam of la Volta and Chesalon) and Aretha (dam of Nocturnal Affair). Also on the possibles list was Val De Ra’s dam, Minelli and Met winner River Jetez was also an option.
A stallion viewing day was planned for May and as a stunningly good looking horse, he is likely to prove very popular.
When asked to elaborate on the mechanics behind promoting a stallion, Pippa explained that the success was heavily dependant on the combined input and efforts of the syndicate and the stud where he is resident.
“We are very fortunate! The Oratorio Syndicate is practically the same as the Var Syndicate. So before we even start selling services we know that our support base is strong and loyal.To back this up, we have a professional outfit like Avontuur with a well established and solid client base. So there again we know that we will enjoy support. Going hand in hand with mare support is the marketing and public relations of the stallion. It is no good getting the support from breeders and then not assisting them when it comes to selling yearlings,” she said.
Proactive
Branding. Jockey MJ Byleveld in the Avontuur silks
When it comes to proactive marketing and transparency of information, the Avontuur machine runs very smoothly and has few peers in the industry.
Besides their sponsored jockeys MJ Byleveld and Anthony Delpech providing ongoing updates and Avontuur news titbits in their Tellytrack appearances, the Var Syndicate also led the field a few years ago by sponsoring their own serious of races countrywide. The Var Need For Speed Series continues to go from strength to strength.
Pippa has the final word: “The job of standing a stallion is never a seasonal one. It is an all year round labour of love and passion. Our clients know that when they support an Avontuur stallion, they can be assured of after sales support, second to none.”
Enquiries about Oratorio and Var may be addressed to [email protected]
