Cover image courtesy of Racing Photos
The fashion of Hello Romeo’s (NZ) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) dominant and front-running 1.75l win in the 2YO H. at Bendigo on Wednesday was “just like his old man”, according to Cambridge Stud CEO, Henry Plumptre.
The Lindsay Park colt became the first victor from Group 1 winner Hello Youmzain’s (Fr) New Zealand crops at Cambridge Stud.
Hello Youmzain was the leading first-season sire in France by earnings, winners and stakes winners, and his first Northern Hemisphere 2-year-olds include Group 3 victors Misunderstood (Fr) and Electrolyte (Ire).
Plumptre was delighted with the high-cruising speed Hello Romeo displayed under jockey Koby Jennings at Bendigo on Wednesday, before finding another gear on the straight to comfortably hold off stablemate for Ben, Will and JD Hayes, Mrs Iglesia (Dirty Work).
“It was quite like his old man. Hello Youmzain was a horse who didn’t come from the back with a withering burst,” Plumptre told The Thoroughbred Report.
“He just sat up on the pace and kicked away from them in his really good wins, like the Haydock Sprint Cup and Diamond Jubilee Stakes.
“He sat on the pace and toughed it out, and that’s the style of horse he was. And that was pretty much what that colt did (on Wednesday). It was good to see.”
“He (Hello Youmzain) sat on the pace and toughed it out, and that’s the style of horse he was. And that was pretty much what that colt (Hello Romeo) did (on Wednesday). It was good to see.”
Ready to greet more winners
Hello Youmzain has now produced 19 winners from 46 runners, with 105 named foals in total, and Cambridge Stud shares the belief that he will continue producing winners.
By Kodiac (GB), the sire of 102 stakes victors, Plumptre said demand for Hello Youmzain progeny would continue to increase next year.
Hello Youmzain (Fr) | Standing at Cambridge Stud
Plumptre said the Kodiac bloodline was “the gift that keeps on giving”.
“He (Hello Youmzain) has got five or six stakes horses across France and England,” he said. “So his first year up there was very good, and good enough for his fee to go from €25,000 to €40,000.
“He’s obviously going to be in demand next year. And we’ve got a lot of faith in the horse.
“(Cambridge Stud onwers) Brendan and Jo (Lindsay) have probably got 16 or 17 Hello Youmzains in work with various trainers. We’ve got a couple with Mark Walker at Te Akau, we’ve got a lot with our private trainer Lance Noble – some beautiful fillies with him.
“He’s (Hello Youmzain) obviously going to be in demand next year. And we’ve got a lot of faith in the horse.” - Henry Plumptre
“So we’ve got a lot of faith in him. That Kodiac bloodline is the gift that keeps on giving for us.”
A $150,000 purchase from Lindsay Park from Hallmark Stud at the 2024 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, Hello Romeo is out of Jomara Bloodstock-bred Julieta (NZ) (Shooting To Win), who just produced her third Hello Youmzain foal in a row at Cambridge Stud.
Hello Romeo (NZ) as a yearling | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
She is a half-sister to gelding and three-time Group 1 winner, Humidor (NZ) (Teofilo {Ire}).
“They didn’t look like obvious early 2-year-olds, but a lot of the mares who were mated with Hello Youmzain in his first crop were from pretty fast families,” Plumptre said.
“He (Hello Romeo) was bred by the Carter brothers (John and Mark, as well as sister Rachael) at Jomara Bloodstock, and there’ll be a bit of speed in that family. So that probably played a hand in Hello Romeo’s win. You’re always looking for 2-year-old winners.
“When you’re breeding horses which are predominantly going to Australia, it’s so important to get some 2-year-old runners on the board.
“When you’re breeding horses which are predominantly going to Australia, it’s so important to get some 2-year-old runners on the board.” - Henry Plumptre
“The Carters have been big supporters of Hello Youmzain. They’ve sent some beautiful mares to him. They’re good supporters of ours, and it’s great to see them get that success.”
Hello Youmzain, now an 8-year-old stallion, currently stands for NZ$30,000 (plus GST) at Cambridge Stud.
Henry Plumptre | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“We like our 1-2 trial runners”
Hello Youmzain also had a trial winner at Ruakaka, when filly Remala (NZ) (out of Alamer {NZ} by Alamosa {NZ}) beat stablemate and fellow Hello Youmzain filly, homebred Hello Hayley (NZ) (out of Hayley Grace {NZ} by Thorn Park) for Noble on Monday.
Cambridge Stud bought Remala for NZ$180,000 from Kilgravin Lodge at the 2024 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale.
“Remala beat her stablemate, and we like them both,” Plumptre said.
“She was quite surprising to do what she did because she’s quite a big, leggy type of filly and a little bit backward.
“So she did it on raw ability. It was really pleasing to see.”
“She (Remala) was quite surprising to do what she did because she’s quite a big, leggy type of filly and a little bit backward. So she did it on raw ability. It was really pleasing to see.” - Henry Plumptre
Cambridge Stud has enjoyed plenty of recent success, with colt El Castello (Castelvecchio), gelding Ceolwulf (NZ) and mare Snazzytavi (NZ) all saluting at G1 level.
Ceolwulf and Snazzytavi were both by late Champion Sire, Tavistock (NZ).
Joe Pride bought Ceolwulf for NZ$170,000 from Riversley Park at the 2022 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale
Randwick trainer Anthony Cummings purchased El Castello for $220,000 out of Cambridge Stud’s draft at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
El Castello, winner of the G1 Spring Champion S. | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
“You don’t realise how hard the Group 1s are to get until you start looking for them,” Plumptre said. “I think we had four Group 1s in the space of three weeks. Ceolwulf won two, El Castello won another and our own Tavistock mare here, Snazzytavi, she won a Group 1 here (the Livamol Classic at Waikato).
“But Tavistock is no longer with us, and he’s greatly missed.”
