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.

The progeny of our resident sire Almanzor were keenly sought-after during New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale at Karaka.

An array of leading New Zealand, Australian and Asian buyers successfully chased down his two-year-olds with his highest-priced offering to cross the Tasman after he was knocked down for $325,000.

Trainers Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald and Blandford Bloodstock signed the ticket for Lot 76, who was offered by KB Bloodstock.

The colt is a son of the G3 Lowland Stakes winner and G1 New Zealand Oaks runner-up Miss Selby, dam of the juvenile winner and G2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes runner-up Lowe Flying.

The pedigree also features the former top mare Viadana, successful at Group 1 level in the Easter Handicap and New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes.

Te Akau chief David Ellis was taken by a well-credentialled Almanzor filly and he went to $150,000 for Lot 170.

Offered by Woburn Farm, she is a sister to the multiple winner Mary Shan, who finished runner-up at Group 2 level in both the Eight Carat Classic and Soliloquy Stakes.

They are out of the High Chaparral mare Shanzam and the family of the G3 Kingston Town Stakes winner She’s Ideel who was also a multiple Group 1 placegetter.

Lot 363 from Kilgravin Lodge’s consignment also changed hands for $150,000 with Hong Kong’s Cody Mo the successful bidder.

The colt is a half-brother to Scott Base, dual Group 2 winner of the Wellington Guineas and Japan-New Zealand International Trophy and the Karaka Million 3YO Classic.

Cambridge trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood were the successful purchasers at $140,000 of Lot 160, a gelded juvenile by Almanzor presented by Chad Ormsby’s Riverrock Farm.

His dam is the Savabeel mare Savette, who was successful on two occasions and hails from the family of the dual Group 1-winninghalf-siblings Glamour Puss and Vision And Power.

Their half-sister Rare Insight won the G2 Stan Fox Stakes and produced Steps In Time, who triumphed in an edition of the G1 Coolmore Classic.

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Imported mare Sussex Dancer has done an excellent job at stud with all nine of her foals to race now successful.

An Irish-bred daughter of Danehill Dancer, we purchased her for 57,000gns at the 2009 Tattersalls Mares’ Sale and she’s done us proud over the years.

Her progeny includes the Group performers Devildom, Reevederci and Meghan with Gatzby maintaining the mare’s perfect record followinga breakthrough victory at the Phar Lap Raceway.

We bred Gatzby who initially went through our system before joining Lyn Prendergast’s Canterbury stable and following a couple of placings the Almanzor four-year-old was successful over 1600 metres.

She broke well before steadying to settle in sixth on the fence and was stuck behind traffic at the top of the straight but, once clear, she powered home to score under Kylie Williams.

Her dam Sussex Dancer is a half-sister to the G3 Noblesse Stakes winner and G1 Irish Guineas runner-up Ice Queen with South African black-type winners Mon Petit Cherie and Capitana also on the pedigree page.

The mare produced a colt by Embellish last season before returning to Almanzor.

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Our young sire Embellish only had a handful of representatives at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale with Lot 299 proving to be a highly popular individual.

The striking grey was offered by Riversley Park and sold to Hong Kong interests for $180,000 after recording an impressive time of 10.36 seconds at the breeze ups last month.

The gelding is a son of the Dalghar mare Blue Shadow, who was successful three times from only five starts, and is from the family of the G2 Phar Lap Stakes winner My Wanderin’ Star.

It was the gelding’s second appearance in the ring at Karaka as he was sold by breeders Graeme and Renee Hughes earlier this year at the NZB Book 2 Yearling Sale for $110,000 to Richardson Racing Stables.

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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 $240,000 and 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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