AVONTUUR Stud’s resident stallion Oratorio (IRE) sired Mourinho, the winner of Saturday’s Gr1 Underwood Stakes at Caulfield in Melbourne, Australia.

Shut out of the Cox Plate field last year, eight-year-old Mourinho has since belied his age and accumulated weight-for-age victories before now finally breaking through at Gr1 level.

Mourinho (Vlad Duric) wins the Underwood Stakes.

He almost threw the race away by drifting out in the straight, but the $18 chance held just a margin to spare from fellow eight-year-olds Fawkner ($3.40) and The Cleaner ($7.50).

The victory was especially emotional for Gelagotis, who only just returned from a three-month ban for breaching race-day treatment rules in May.

Also elated was Avontuur’s Pippa Mickleburgh.  The versatile and well-proven Oratorio’s first SA yearlings will be offered at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale (Book 1) next January.