A son of Avontuur’s exciting sire Oratorio topped the weekend’s March Yearling Sale, which took place at Durbanville racecourse on Saturday and Sunday.

Consigned by Sorrento Stud, the colt (who is from his triple G1 winning sire’s first South African crop) was knocked down to Kuda Insurance’s Wehann Smith for R650 000.

Catalogued as lot 209, the bay, already named Oravar, is out of the four time winning Var mare Miravar. His second dam, the Dr Fong matron Lake Alice, is a half sister to the stakes placed four time winner Ladonna.

The sales topper was former European champion Oratorio’s sole offering at the March Sale. Sire of 45 stakes winners worldwide, the champion son of Danehill has certainly made a pleasing start to his South African stud career, with his first local crop having fetched up to R1.1 million at January’s Cape Premier Yearling Sale.

Avontuur sires certainly fared well at the March Sale, with Oratorio’s stable mate Var responsible for the sales’ top priced filly. This was the Avontuur consigned Bank On It, who was sold to Mayfair Speculators for R650 000 –the joint second top price of the sale.

Bank On It, catalogued as lot 118, is a full sister to the useful Raconteur and is out of a winning daughter of champion sire Western Winter and stakes winning All Fired Up mare Shoot The Booze. She is from the same family as champions Jay Peg and Kochka, as well as recent G3 Final Fling Stakes winner Cat And The Moon and Var’s R4 000 000 son Moonrise Sensation.

Overall, prices were down on last year’s sale, with the top price paid dropping from R1.3 million to R650 000 in 2016. The aggregate, albeit with a small catalogue, fell noticeably from R28,235,000 to R21, 395,000 and average prices (from R118,138 to R107,512) and median (R90 000 to R70 000) also dropped.

Ten of the 240 horses catalogued to sell were withdrawn, and 199 horses of the remaining 230 lots were sold.

Rainbow Beach Trading were the sales’ leading buyer and acquired ten lots for an aggregate of R2.025 million. Klawervlei Stud narrowly led the vendors list, ahead of Sorrento Stud, Normandy Stud and Favour Stud, with Klawervlei’s 19 lots sold grossing R2,505,000.

Former champion sprinter What A Winter has made a tremendous start to his stud career, with his yearlings being sought after in sales’ rings around the country and the champion son of Western Winter was once again to the fore at the March Yearling Sale. What A Winter, who led the sires table, had 11 yearlings fetch R2,430,000, with a top price of R460 000 paid for the Narrow Creek Stud colt out of Upity Ann.

A full list of results and statistics are available online at www.capethoroughbredsales.com

www.capebreeders.co.za

Photo:  Oratorio, Avontuur Stud.