Racegoers at Ascot on Saturday could be forgiven for thinking it was Groundhog Day for Mungrup Stud champion Oratorio and apprentice Tayla Stone.

They combined to land a $277 running double with Mr Motown (Amelia Park Lodge Hcp) and Sir Snugalot (Rentokil Initial Hcp).

Both winners eye-balled the leaders before Stone pinched a break in the straight to hold off champion hoop Willie Pike in photo-finishes. What’s more, the two beaten horses were odds-on favourites and carried the cerise and white silks of owner-breeder Bob Peters!

“I came to the races confident,” Stone croaked through a cold after the lookalike wins. “And I’m happy it panned out that way especially as Mr Motown is one of my favourites.”

With a foundation of Mungrup bloodlines going back generations, Mr Motown is owned by a syndicate that includes breeder Eddie Rigg (Geisel Park) and vendor Ron Sayers (Yarradale Stud).

Oratorio sired him from Steely Gaze who reserved her best for trainer Neville Parnham over 1400m at Belmont.

She is by Metal Storm whose stud career was cruelly cut short in 2001 but not before he sired the winners of 48 stakes races from 7 books at Mungrup.

Second dam Watch Your Partner was a daughter of 1990s Mungrup resident I’m In Luck (Haulpak) and third-dam Silent Partner was by Sir Chatary (a grandson of Hyperion) who stood at Mungrup in the 1970s after winning a WATC Derby.

Sir Snugalot (pictured above) is a Mungrup Stud homebred and his dam Snuglet (Scenic) was another Parnham-trained Belmont specialist winning 5 races at the winter venue. Mungrup owners Gray and Jan Williamson welcomed another Oratorio – Snuglet colt in the Great Southern last September.

Oratorio and Mungrup rising star Playing God will stand for $11,000 (inc gst) this year. They head the WA service fee schedule with Yarradale sire War Chant (USA).