Mungrup Stud stallion Oratorio (Aus) sired his latest juvenile winner when flashy filly Ortessa was successful in the $50,000 Roy Edwards Memorial at Ascot on Saturday.  Oratorio (Stravinsky) has been represented by five juvenile winners this season in addition to the 12 he sired from his first crop in 2008-09.  

Ortessa (2f Oratorio – Sweet Synergy by Snaadee) is trained by Stephen Rowe and she was coming off a close third in the Touchstone Farm 2YO Classic at Pinjarra a fortnight ago.  “We were confident and she produced the goods today,” Rowe said.  “My daughter Ellie and our apprentice Ned Coldbeck deserve all the credit for the work they’ve done with the filly.”

Ortessa is a half-sister to the winners Land Quest (Land Speed Record), Wing O’ Pleasure (Hideyoshi) and Sweet Record (Land Speed Record).  Their dam Sweet Synergy retired a maiden after five unplaced starts.  She has a colt on the ground by Oratorio and was covered by Mungrup sire Due Sasso in October.

Brilliant filly Motion Pictures heads Oratorio’s second crop with an Ascot hat-trick before finishing second in the Listed Supremacy Stakes on March 20.  Although subject to a vet exam after that loss, she is heading for the G2 Karrakatta Plate on April 17.

Oratorio was a stakes winner of the BTC Tommy Smith Slipper (LR) and Adelaide Magic Millions at two and the MVRC C S Hayes Stakes (G3) as a three year-old.

He has covered over 540 mares in his first five books in WA’s Great Southern.  Mungrup studmaster Gray Williamson increased his fee to $11,000 (inc gst) last year.