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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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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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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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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Victoria Belle has fashioned a smart record as a broodmare and further success came the way of our daughter of Zabeel at New Plymouth.

All four of her foals to race have been successful, including multiple Singapore stakes winner Mr Clint and it was his half-sister Bellezor who is the latest member of the family to add to the honour roll.

The Paul Richards-trained mare enjoyed a successful trip to the Central Districts with a determined victory over 1400 metres against Rating 75 opposition.

A homebred daughter of Almanzor, she was slowly away before improving to settle three back near the fence.

Rider Courtney Barnes angled into the clear 300 metres from home and the five-year-old, purchased via the Gavelhouse platform for $14,500,finished determinedly to earn her third win from eight appearances.

We sold Bellezor’s half-sister by Hello Youmzain to Nigel Blackiston Thoroughbreds at Karaka earlier this year for $200,000 and Victoria Belle, who is from the family of two-time Group 1 winner Foxwood, is due to foal to Sword Of State.

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The old racing maxim that good barriers win races rang true for Frostfair at Ellerslie where she was further rewarded for her consistency.

Our homebred and raced daughter of Written Tycoon had jumped from awkward gates in her last two appearances and performed well to place on both occasions.

Trainer Lance Noble had been more than happy with the four-year-old’s lead-up efforts and was expecting a bold showing from an inside

barrier.

His hopes were fulfilled when rider Vinnie Colgan gave Frostfair a trouble-free run near the pace and she finished resolutely for her second win from six appearances and has yet to miss a top four finish.

Her victory completed a good day for the farm following stablemate Terra Mitica’s encouraging effort for third in her first run over ground this preparation in the G3 Balmerino Stakes.

Frostfair is a daughter of the Commands mare Thames Court, a gifted performer whose three victories included the G3 Alexandra Stakes and she was also a multiple black-type placegetter.

A daughter of the stakes winner Pantenny, Thames Courts’ Pierro colt sold to Busuttin Racing at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale last year for A$80,000.

Her daughter of Capitalist sold for $200,000 to Stephen Gray, Wattle Bloodstock and Toking at Karaka earlier this year.

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We are delighted to share that Probabeel welcomed a Snitzel filly into the world this week and both mum and foal are doing well post foaling.

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Well-performed Almanzor mare Qali Al Farrasha looks set for another lucrative campaign following her impressive return to racing at Ellerslie.The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson representative was resuming over a distance well short of her best, but in a fresh state she exploded clear to coast home at the end of 1400 metres.Qali Al Farrasha measured up well against the best fillies last season when she ran third in the G1 New Zealand Oaks, off the back of a runner-up finish in the G3 Sunline Vase, to earn a crack at another top-flight title at Morphettville.“She went to Adelaide for the Australasian Oaks, drew the outside and things didn’t work out, but she spelled brilliantly at the farm where Deane Lowcay, our bloodstock manager, and the team there had her looking really good for when she came back into training,” Walker said.“We’ve just brought her along nice and slowly and since she’s turned in the coat she started to really do well, and Nicole Shailer had her looking in great order at the stables.“I think she’s in for an exciting preparation as a middle-distance mare that can win like that over 1400 metres first-up. There was a lot to like about the way she won and how well she’s developed.”She is raced by breeders Te Akau Stud, Nearco Stud and Westonlea Bloodstock and is a sister to the unbeaten Listed Welcome Stakes winner Nucleozor, who is now in Hong Kong.Their dam is the Burgundy mare Nucleonic, who has produced a pair of colts by Hello Youmzain in the last two seasons.