News

Our Magic Millions and New Zealand Bloodstock yearlings have started their sales preparation and our yearling team are working hard as they continue the education of our class of 2025.

Our faith in Hello Youmzain was repaid in spades during his racing days and the good times keep rolling for our shuttle sire in the second phase of his career.

He was successful in the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup before we purchased the son of Kodiac with our great friends at Haras d’Etreham and we subsequently celebrated his victory in the G1 Royal Ascot Diamond Jubilee Stakes.

Hello Youmzain has made an outstanding start to his Northern Hemisphere stallion career with 18 individual winners, including the G3 Prix des Chenes victor and G1 Prix de Jean-Luc Lagardere placegetter Misunderstood and Electrolyte, triumphant in the G3 Prix Eclipse.

And now, he has made a fast start in the Southern Hemisphere with his son Hello Romeo following up a debut second over 1000 metres at Bendigo by going one better over the course and distance for trainers Ben, Willand JD Hayes.

“He had the advantage of having a run at the track and running well. On that day he hit the front and star-gazed a little bit and was just a bit green and raw still,” Ben Hayes said. 

“He had trained on nicely and did everything right at home. 

“It’s nice to get the first winner for Hello Youmzain and we really loved this horse at the Karaka sale.”

Hello Romeo was a shade slow before mustering pace along the fence to make the running and lengthened stride comfortably for rider Koby Jennings to coast home by a length and three-quarters.

“He won impressively and there are a lot of options for him, but we’ll see how he pulls up first and then make a decision whether we press on or put him aside for the autumn,” Hayes said.

The colt was bred by Jomara Bloodstock and purchased by Lindsay Park for $150,000 out of Halmark Stud’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale.

He is the first foal of the Shooting To Win mare Julieta, who had another son of Hello Youmzain last season and is due to foal to him again.

Julieta is a half-sister to Humidor, the three-time Group 1winner of the Australian Cup, Makybe Diva Stakes and the Memsie Stakes.

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El Castello crowned his unbeaten start to his three-year-old season with a sublime victory in the G1 Spring Champion Stakes.The Cambridge Stud-bred three-year-old posted a resuming maiden success last month before a midway win and then stepped up to black type company to land top honours in the G3 Gloaming Stakes.The son of Castelvecchio had no trouble bridging the gap to the highest level in the 2000 metre age group feature at Randwick in the hands of regular rider Josh Parr.“He’s just a very good horse and the preparation went perfectly, everything worked out and I still think he improves again,” trainer Anthony Cummings said.El Castello was quickly into stride to lope along near the pace and held a strong gallop to the post after striking the front 250 metres from home.“He switched off in the middle stages and he’s always up for the challenge,” said Cummings, who is now considering a tilt at the G1 VRC Derby.“We’ve got to get him home and make sure that he’s okay and tick a fair few boxes before we do that, but that is the plan.” The Randwick horseman purchased El Castello out of our draft at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for A$220,000 with his dam the Fastnet Rock mare Word Games.She is a half-sister to Fiveandahalfstar, who Cummings prepared to claim top-flight titles in the BMW Stakes and the VRC Derby and also trained his sire Hotel Grand to win the Spring Champion and the G1 Randwick Guineas.Word Games produced a half-sister by Almanzor to El Castello last season and recently produced another filly by our son of Wootton Bassett before visiting Chaldean.

Mehzebeen completed a major staying double at Riccarton in outstanding style with a commanding victory in the G3 New Zealand Cup.

The five-year-old’s southern exploits also further emphasized what a source of high-quality distance performers our resident sire Almanzor continues to produce.

The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained Mehzebeen had been a dominant frontrunning winner on the first day of the Listed Metropolitan Trophy and she backed up waltz home in the Cup.

“It was a great ride by Craig (Grylls) to get one out and one back, she went to sleep and was strong through the line,” Bergerson said.

This is a massive thrill, it’s one of the iconic races in New Zealand racing, so it means a lot to have our names on the trophy.

“Thanks to all of our team, both at Matamata and down here. The start of her prep didn’t quite go to plan, but she’s just improved and improved.

“That win last week gave us the confidence to press on. She’s absolutely thrived and bounced through the run on the first day and then she came out and was really strong through the line.

“There are plenty of nice Cup races coming up, both here and in Australia.”

Mehzebeen lobbed along in fourth spot away from the fence before making her run wide out near the turn under jockey Craig Grylls.

The mare strode to the front and was far too strong in the run to the line to have three lengths on her nearest rival at the post.

“The plan was to get a bit of cover, and we managed to do that quite quickly,” Grylls said.

“She just travelled so well throughout. Coming up to the turn I thought that all she would have to do to get them all off the bridle would be to just quicken up a little bit, and she did that. She won easily in the end.”

The Pencarrow Stud-bred Mehzebeen has now five races and also finished runner-up in the G1 New Zealand Oaks during her classic season.

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Bella Waters produced a career best performance in the G2 Tauranga Stakes to add to her burgeoning record.

The five-year-old has made rapid and impressive progress under the guidance of Moira and Kieran Murdoch to double her winning tally at black type level and set up a possible crack at the G1 Zabeel Classic on Boxing Day.

Our homebred and raced daughter of the late Sacred Falls was a big mover last season when she went from her maiden success to victory in the Listed Rotorua Cup in one preparation.

Bella Waters was then spelled and finished midfield when resuming last month over 1300 metres before a stellar performance to score over1600 metres in the Tauranga weight-for-age feature.

“I thought she was a little bit unlucky first-up and we were worried about the track this time, but it turned out to be good for her, she really has come of age,” Moira Murdoch said.

Bella Waters settled back in the running before edging closer near the turn and she thundered home down the outside in the hands of regular rider Warre Kennedy to account for a competitive line-up.

She is a daughter of our Irish-bred Pivotal mare But Beautiful, who was successful on three occasions and is also the dam of the G2Autumn Classic winner Immediacy.

But Beautiful is a half-sister to the European stakes winners Ayrad and Dawn Of Hope and their second dam Fire The Groom was successful in the G1 Arlington Park Beverley D Stakes.

She is the mother of the dual Group 1 winner Stravinsky, sire of six top-flight winners during his successful tenure at Cambridge Stud.

We sold Bella Waters’ half-sister by Hello Youmzain to Busuttin Racing and Andrew Williams Bloodstock at Karaka this year for $240,000and But Beautiful is due to foal to Embellish.

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Funfetti successfully backed up on the final day of the New Zealand Cup meeting to hit top form in premier company.

The daughter of our resident sire Embellish had progressed through the system here before her sale and has now won twice from a handful of starts.

We originally purchased Funfetti out of HGT Bloodstock’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $12,000.

She is the first foal Alternative Fact, who won on two occasions up to 2100 metres, and the Medaglia D’Oro mare is out of a half-sister to the G3 Doomben Roses winner and G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas placegetter Awesome Planet.

We subsequently sold Funfetti for $2000 via the Gavelhouse platform and she’s raced by Cambridge horseman Clinton Isdale from the stable of John and Karen Parsons.

The mare had finished close up in midfield when she resumed on the opening day at Riccarton and showed the benefit of that outing with a decisive second-up victory.

The four-year-old settled in sixth spot away from the fence before improving under rider Tina Comignaghi and was into the clear at the top of the straight.

When asked to lengthen stride, she did so in determined fashion to prove superior to her Rating 65 rivals over 1400 metres.

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Improving mare Dujour ran her rivals ragged on her home track at Riccarton to open her winning account with a dominant performance that has earned her a break.

The Almanzor four-year-old was making just her fifth appearance and was coming off a previous third placing before she romped home over 1600 metres.

“I’m very proud of her, I knew she was fit and well and she definitely goes for a break now,” said trainer David Medcalfe, who races the mare with sister Jenny.

Dujour was quickly into her work from barrier rise to make the running under Donovan Cooper and after surging clear at the top of the straight she stayed on too strongly for her rivals.

“What a beautiful way to start Cup Week, she loved it out in front and I let her do it at her own tempo and she found the line really well,” Cooper said.

We bred Dujour who is out of the unraced Irish-bred High Chaparral mare High Vogue, a 110,000gns purchase at a Tattersalls October Sale.

She is a half-sister to the four-time Group 1 winner Luxembourg with top-flight winners Arcangues, Artiste Royale and Aquarelliste also members of this family.

High Vogue is due to foal to Sword Of State after produced acolt to the Group 1 winner last season, while her son of Ocean Park was purchased by John Foote for A$80,000 at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale earlier this year.

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Mehzebeen revelled in an uncharacteristic front-running role at Riccarton where the Almanzor mare dominated the Listed Metropolitan Trophy.

The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson representative was never headed in the 2600 metre trip under rider Sam Spratt to return a perfect dress rehearsal for next weekend’s G3 New Zealand Cup.

“We didn’t expect to lead, but it was a good positive ride and she was stiff in this race last year so she deserved it,” Bergerson said.

Mehzebeen, who had finished sixth after an interrupted run 12 months ago, had headed south off the back of a close second in the Waverley Cup.

“She’s in fantastic form and her Waverley run showed she was on an upward trajectory,” Bergerson said.

“The step up in trip to 3200 metres will suit her so bring on the Cup.”

Mehzebeen was quickest into stride and Spratt didn’t hesitate to let the five-year-old stride along at the head of affairs.

“We drew one and nothing went so I took the lead and we got pretty easy sectionals,” she said.

“She settled well and cruised along and kicked on thecorner, she was very good.”

Bred by Pencarrow Stud, Mehzebeen has now won on four occasions and finished runner-up in the G1 New Zealand Oaks during her classic season.

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Exciting staying prospect Alma Rise was an impressive winner over 2000 metres on the Oaks Day undercard at Flemington in a case of all’s well that ends well.

The progressive daughter of our resident sire Almanzor was stuck behind a wall of horses at the top of the straight and when a gap finally presented itself, she was through in a flash and forged clear.

The four-year-old is trained by Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman and now has four wins and three runner-up finishes from her seven starts.

“She’s a really classy mare and has been a bit immature both physically and mentally so we’ve taken our time with her,” Coleman said.

“We’ll see how she comes through this one and then take it step by step, but she is a really exciting horse to have in the stable.”

Alma Rise drifted well back on the fence and rider Luke Nolen was stuck in traffic before they were into clear air 250 metres from home and then powered clear to score by two and a-quarter lengths.

“I was just glad they stayed on their feet, it got pretty tight but Luke is very competitive and she’s a very good mare,” Coleman said.

Bred by Ed Calvert and raced with his family, Alma Rise is a daughter of the Bertolini mare Fashion Black, who was successful on six occasions.

Fashion Black is a half-sister to the dual Group 1 winner and sire Xtravagant whose brother He’s Remarkable was a Group 3 winner and placed at the elite level.

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