PHOTO : The arrival of star European sprinter Hello Youmzain is being keenly awaited at Cambridge Stud.
Reflections on a landmark year of achievements combined with the imminent arrival of star European sprinter Hello Youmzain make for exciting times at Cambridge Stud in the approach to the new season.
On the racetrack the Cambridge Stud racing team was led by the outstanding Savabeel mare Probabeel with her wins on the Gr. 1 Epsom Handicap and Gr. 1 Futurity Stakes, and closer to home by Snitzel colt Sword Of State as he capped his five-start, four-win campaign with victory in the Gr. 1 Sistema Stakes, and by Darci Brahma filly Kahma Lass in her New Zealand 1000 Guineas win.
Away from the track, champion European galloper Almanzor made headlines when his first Southern Hemisphere crop hit the yearling sale circuit. Beginning with the Gold Coast Magic Millions in early January through to New Zealand Bloodstock’s Karaka auction and Sydney’s Inglis Easter Sale, Almanzor was the standout amongst the highly competitive freshman sire ranks.
Almanzor’s profile had also grown with the news that his sire Wootton Bassett had been bought by Coolmore and would shuttle to Australia with a 2021 service fee of A$65,000, while further reassurance was his first Northern Hemisphere two-year-old runner Faro de San Juan winning on debut at Chantilly.
Inevitably there’s an element of speculation when making a call on stallion material, and in that respect a comparison can be drawn between Hello Youmzain and Almanzor. As a triple Group One winner at three, Almanzor was the star of Wootton Bassett’s first crop and has since been joined by another three Group One winners.
Even so, when Cambridge Stud owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay signed up with Frenchman Nicolas de Chambure of Haras d’Etreham to secure the Southern Hemisphere standing rights to Almanzor, it was very much a leap of faith. The same could be said for the Lindsays’ decision to again join forces with Haras d’Etreham in securing Hello Youmzain after his 2019 win in the Gr. 1 Haydock Sprint Cup.
Like Almanzor, Hello Youmzain was by a stallion that could at the time be described as something of a ‘sleeper’, however subsequent events have likewise established the Danehill horse Kodiac as a prolific source. He set a record in 2016 with 61 individual two-year-old winners and in 2020 he had nine individual two-year-old stakes winners, the same year that Hello Youmzain carried the gold and black Cambridge Stud colours to victory in the Gr. 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Just as significantly, the first four sons of Kodiac to go to stud – Ardad, Coulsty, Kodi Bear and Prince Of Lir – have all sired a stakes winner in their first crop.
“It’s very much to their credit that Brendan and Jo have invested heavily not only in stallions but also in broodmares and other stock for the future,” commented Cambridge Stud CEO Henry Plumptre. “That level of commitment is something that others can also benefit from, as we saw when Almanzor’s first crop yearlings went to auction. It was quite extraordinary to see the results that were enjoyed by such a wide range of breeders who had supported the horse.
“Not only does that reflect positively on Almanzor himself, but it also bodes well for Hello Youmzain. To be able to announce at the end of March that both horses were fully booked says a lot for the confidence that breeders have placed in them – and of course the quality that stallions like them represent.”
Scott Calder, Head of Sales and Nominations at Cambridge Stud, makes the point that Hello Youmzain is actually ahead of Almanzor at the same stage of their respective careers.
“If anything, Hello Youmzain will be better supported in his first year than Almanzor,” he says. “Almanzor booked full very quickly after arriving in New Zealand, but Hello Youmzain’s book filled well in advance of him stepping foot in the country.
“Breeders have jumped at the chance to breed to him and are sending some of their best mares, with Melody Belle’s dam Meleka Belle the obvious stand out. We are also very fortunate to have a strong syndicate behind Hello Youmzain, as many of Almanzor’s shareholders have reinvested as well as new shareholders coming on board.”
From within Cambridge’s own ranks, mares booked to Hello Youmzain include My My Maree, the dam of champion two-year-old Marky Mark, Group Two winner Kelly O’Reilly, Fuld’s Bet, a stakes-winning I Am Invincible mare purchased at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale, and Special Diamond, a daughter of Diamond Lover and the dam of four stakes performers.
Add to that several of the Lindsays’ well-performed fillies retiring off the track, including Listed winner Pretty To Sea, Karaka Million placegetter Taroni, and Still Single, runner-up in the Gr. 2 ATC Sweet Embrace Stakes, and it’s clear that Hello Youmzain will not lack for opportunity.
The Cambridge Stud roster for 2021 is completed by Savabeel’s Group One-winning son Embellish, whose first crop weanlings have left the right impression in securing at least the same level of support that has seen him cover more than 100 mares in both seasons to date.
“Going back through Savabeel to Zabeel and Sir Tristram, this is the Northern Dancer line in this part of the world,” says Henry Plumptre. “We’ve certainly got behind Embellish and the quality is there to see in his first crop; for example we’ve got a filly as good as any you’ll find in our weanling paddocks.
“A stallion like him is very good currency and at the fee ($4,000) he offers breeders such a compelling opportunity.”
As well as the prospect of Probabeel, Sword Of State and other proven performers stepping out in the new season, untapped talent includes a number of Almanzor two-year-olds that will provide an additional edge to the Cambridge Stud racing string.
“There’s a lot to look forward to on the racing front,” added Plumptre. “The Cox Plate is Probabeel’s spring target and Sword Of State will be aimed at the Coolmore Stud Stakes, which is an obvious stallion-making race.
“Brendan and Jo put great stock in their racing team and they’re excited to think that part of that will be two-year-olds by Almanzor. We have a couple of nice home-bred fillies by him, plus others – colts and fillies – purchased as yearlings, so one way or another there’s plenty on the horizon.”
