I was not aware of that, but it's surprising. That was the period when Montgomery was losing confidence in Horrocks because he felt he was overly stressed. In fact, that was just about the time Monty temporarily relieved him and sent him home for a rest. That was sometime during this battle, I believe. Given that, it just seems a little out of character at the time for him to have favored such a bold action. But it's interesting to learn.
Don't for get that Horrocks was very nearly killed in North Africa after being hit by a bullet from a strafing German fighter that went through his lungs, stomach and intestines. It took him a year to recover and after that he had the occasional periods of fever.