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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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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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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