The outstanding Military Attack. Another honour for Oratorio
Avontuur’s exciting new stallion Oratorio has attracted unprecedented local interest since arriving from Coolmore Australia in January.
The multiple Gr1 winning son of Danehill’s soaring reputation and enviable racetrack and paddock record received a further boost, when his brilliant son Military Attack was crowned Hong Kong’s Horse of the Year at the end-of-season Champion Awards at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Avontuur General Manager Pippa Mickleburgh was elated on hearing the news, saying that the past six months had been a whirlwind:
“Oratorio has produced the goods internationally in the most unbelievable manner and hardly a week goes by when we don’t receive news about his progeny winning stakes races somewhere around the globe. I am thrilled about Military Attack’s superb achievement and after the reception Oratorio received when we introduced him in May, it is hardly surprising that his book is full for this season!” she said.
Pippa added that consideration was always given to high class mares who met the stringent performance requirements, and invited breeders and owners to contact her directly.
Oratorio stands for a fee of R80 000.
Military Attack is an Irish-bred five-year-old who won five races during the 2012-13 campaign, all of them at Group level, including three Gr 1 victories.
He commenced his dazzling streak with the January Cup (HKG3-1800m) at Happy Valley in January off a rating of 111, and after claiming the Citibank Hong Kong Gold Cup (HKG1-2000m) and Premier Plate (HKG3-1800m) en route to his Gr1 triumphs, he ended 2012/13 on a Hong Kong rating of 132 and 124 in the World Thoroughbred Rankings.
Decisive wins against international opposition in the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup in April and the Singapore Airlines International Cup a month later made the son of Oratorio the obvious and only choice for the prestigious honour.
Military Attack also took the Champion Middle-distance Horse title and received the public vote as Most Popular Horse of the Year (38 per cent).
Military Attack stood joint-seventh in the most recent world racehorse rankings published before Royal Ascot on an international rating of 124, the same mark as another Hong Kong star Ambitious Dragon, Horse of the Year for the previous two seasons. Tony Millard’s charge had to settle for the Champion Miler award this time.
Trainer John Moore has set Military Attack’s sights on the Cox Plate run in Melbourne in late October with a preparatory run possibly in the Toorak Handicap a fortnight earlier.
On what was a proud day for SA connections, the outstanding Dougie Whyte collected his 13th consecutive jockeys’ championship just minutes after piloting his 100th winner of the season on the Dennis Yip-trained All You Wish.
Whyte’s 13 straight championships is a modern day record, and is matched only by the 19th Century English legends Nat Flatman and Fred Archer. Whyte was also named Most Popular Jockey after he garnered 44 per cent of the public vote.
