Hello – he could make history!

Hello Youmzain is dominating the French first-season sire lists. In an unprecedented turn of events, he is also positioned to make history outside of France as well: at the time of writing, he is currently leading the European first crop sire lists by number of Stakes horses (4), and percentage of winners to runners with 44 per cent (sires who have had ten or more runners). He could also be capable of finishing at the top in terms of the number of winners in Europe by the end of the year, which would be a first for a French sire. Nicolas de Chambure of Haras d’Etreham will be hoping that this is a sign that lightning will strike twice, as the last Etreham stallion who led a European sire list was none other than Wootton Bassett, who is currently proving himself to be one of the most influential sires of his generation at Coolmore.

Hello Youmzain’s leading progeny includes Electrolyte, winner of the Group 3 Prix Eclipse; Misunderstood, who won the Group 3 Prix des Chenes and finished third in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere; Kullazain, who finished third in the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes, and Afentiko, second in the Listed Grand Criterium de Bordeaux. Reflecting on this first crop success, de Chambure says: “We were very excited coming into 2024 as both Hello Youmzain and Persian King had their first crops. The first crop results are an important milestone, and our confidence in these two stallions, who have very different profiles, has only been boosted by the results so far. Hello Youmzain, as the leading European first-season sire, is set to hold a historic place for a French stallion. We simply couldn’t have hoped for better. The feedback on the progeny of Persian King, who already has about ten winners, is very positive, and we are eager to see them blossom as three-year-olds.”

For a horse with a lot of speed, Hello Youmzain was not a particularly precocious type, making his winning debut at the end of August as a two-year-old. It was thus a very good sign when Allée de Bercy became his sire’s first winner in May. Hello Youmzain went on to have another two winners in May and June in England, including Electrolyte who was then beaten a nose in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes. By the beginning of August, he had already sired eight individual winners and further success was to follow in September, when Electrolyte gained compensation for his narrow Royal Ascot defeat by holding on to win the Group 3 Eclipse Stakes at Chantilly.

Electrolyte (gold cup) just fails to hold Rashabar in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, but later gained compensation in the Group 3 Prix Eclipse at Chantilly

“He was a Group winner at two and he excelled at the highest level at three and four,” notes de Chambure, “and that makes him the best son of Kodiac at stud. This aspect of his profile appealed to us, as it suggests he won’t just produce two-year-olds. Early maturity does not exclude the ability to perform at three and older. Kodiac himself is recognized for the quality of his two-year-olds but also ranks among the best sires of three-year-olds in Europe. Hello Youmzain’s maternal pedigree also suggests that his progeny have every chance of improving as they mature, just as he did.”

If Hello Youmzain inherited the speed of his sire Kodiac, he has a lot of stamina in his damline, suggesting his progeny have a significant margin for progress. At the time of writing, four of his two-year-olds have already won or placed at a Stakes level over 1,600m.

The majority of his winning progeny so far are out of mares with a certain amount of speed in their pedigree, yet he has also produced winners from mares with middle-distance backgrounds. “He has encountered all types of profiles in the breeding shed, ” says de Chambure. “Given the set-up of the racing programme in our country, French breeding has not historically focused exclusively on speed and early maturity, unlike our neighbours across the Channel. As the market for these profiles develops, breeders are adapting, and the success of Hello Youmzain’s production shows that our breeding industry is prepared to meet this demand. Naturally, these speedier crosses have performed well this year. He stamps his offspring with his considerably powerful physique, but he also looks to be passing on his competitiveness and professionalism on the track.”

When Hello Youmzain entered stud in 2021, it was evident that this top-class sprinter would appeal to a much more international audience than many of the middle-distance stallions standing in Normandy. From the off, he was well received by the market, which was in large part due to the interest from British and Irish buyers. Six of his winners have come in Britain. “Initially, most of the breeders who came to him were French, but he has also been supported by foreign breeders, some of whom hold shares,” explains de Chambure. “The excellent sales results for his first yearlings last year attracted even more foreign interest, and I have no doubt that this will increase again in 2025 thanks to his first two-year-olds this year.”

Haras d’Etreham decided to limit his books, as they do with all their stallions, which had a beneficial effect on the market when his first offspring reached the sales ring. The fact that the horse is syndicated – a successful practice in France – also contributed to this. His first crop, conceived at a fee of €25,000, saw 22 foals pass through the sales ring: 17 found buyers for an average of €55,472. Moreover, 89% of those yearlings sold for an average of €78,134.

These statistics also helped Hello Youmzain navigate the traditionally difficult third and fourth seasons, says de Chambure: “He has been strongly supported every year since his debut at stud, covering 117 and 124 mares in 2023 and 2024 respectively. There have been few sprinters of his quality entering stud in France, making it a privilege to have him. He brings vital elements of speed and precocity that have long been missing over here compared with English and Irish bloodlines.”

At the time of writing, Sergei Prokofiev is the first crop sire with the most winners (18) in Europe, but Hello Youmzain is not far behind with 15 winners. The race is on to see who will finish in on top!