By Brian Sheerin
DEAUVILLE, France–Ramiro Restrepo has arrived. Fresh off the plane, the first port of call is to pay a visit to Etreham's base in Barn C, where his Hello Youmzain (Fr) colt (lot 38) is based.
The Kentucky Derby-winning owner and bloodstock agent has not seen the colt since he purchased him as a foal here at Arqana in December but it doesn't take long to gauge his approval.
“Man I am pumped,” a larger-than-life Restrepo effuses as the colt exits his stable. There is a certain amount of showmanship to Restrepo, as anyone on the other side of the Atlantic will confirm, but his appreciation of what a good horse looks like is genuine.
His arrival on the international scene as a bloodstock agent and owner was fast-tracked by Mage (Good Magic), the brilliant winner of this year's Kentucky Derby, who has left Restrepo sitting high amongst his peers–a place where he is more than comfortable.
“Winning the Kentucky Derby is the realisation of a dream on so many levels,” he says. “There have only been 149 Kentucky Derby winners and for us to be the 149th is amazing. To think that from now until the end of time, your name is going to be up there with the luminaries of the sport and that Mage's name will be up there with some of the most successful racehorses we have seen, it's just a dream.”
He added, “It's opened up a few doors and it's just been an amazing amount of attention and love sent your way, which is just indescribable. I pinhooked a Breeders' Cup winner [Structor] in 2019 and that gave me the confidence. But when you achieve a Grade I Kentucky Derby win, it's like a holy grail, you know.
“So many famous and important people in our industry have been chasing that and haven't been able to achieve it. And to say that you're able to do that, you look around and are so grateful for the team because it takes a village to get something like this accomplished. It's been a life changer for all of us.”
If Restrepo once walked this sale ground as a little-known American-based bloodstock agent, Mage has changed that. He has been coming to Arqana since 2018 but this week marks his first trip to the August Yearling Sale and he plans to make it a memorable one.
“I came here for the first time with a group of Americans in 2018 and we walked around the sales grounds and I got, you know, full fever. I ended up buying a No Nay Never colt who we sold for a tidy profit as a two-year-old in training. That was right at the time when No Nay Never was really taking off.
“So, in my career, first-crop stallions have always been something that I've been drawn to. If you were to look at a highlight of the horses who I have bought that went on to either sell well or perform well on the racetrack, they've all been sons or daughters of first-crop sires.”
Arqana lot 38, a Hello Youmzain (Fr) colt owned by Ramiro Restrepo and Haras d'Etreham | Etreham photo
In many ways, lot 38 is a Restrepo special. Bought in partnership with Nicolas de Chambure of Haras d'Etreham for €67,000 with the help of Hubie de Burgh and Martin Buick at the December Breeding Stock Sale, the Hello Youmzain colt fits Restrepo's tried-and-trusted model.
By an unproven sire who was a deadly fast racehorse, winning twice at the highest level, including the Diamond Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot, there is scope for the share price in the progeny of Hello Youmzain to rise this week. That's the hope at least.
“I was here last winter with Hubie de Burgh and Martin Buick, who are two amazing people. Obviously Hubie is an amazing judge of equine talent and Martin has been a good pal and we were walking the sales ground together.
“They were shopping for some racehorses but at the same time there were some foals that I kept seeing. This Hello Youmzain colt caught my eye. I've been a big fan of Hello Youmzain, being a son of Kodiac (GB), and you saw him do some nice things as a two-year-old before he beat Calyx (GB) in a Group 2 at three, which really caught my attention. Then at four, he obviously won the Diamond Jubilee and became one of the best sprinters in Europe.”
He added, “I know Nico [de Chambure], who obviously stands the stallion, and I asked him if I bought the colt would he be interested in partnering up. Nico had seen the colt and liked him a tonne so we went ahead and got in there and threw some punches. So here we are. He's grown up here [in France] and we're ready to rock. He was accepted to this sale and now hopefully he can do well.”
Lot 38 is just what you'd expect from a son of a top-class sprinter. A fast-looking colt, he has been described as “a baby version” of his sire by Restrepo, who is cautiously optimistic about how he gets on in the ring on Friday.
“I hope everyone here sees what we saw in him way back in December and that he is accepted positively by the marketplace. Hopefully he is purchased by some pretty successful connections and he goes on and has a great career. That's all you can ask for, is to have tempered expectations and then, you know, be very happy if things work out.”
Restrepo added, “As for myself, I'm just really enjoying the sale. I'm also going to be shopping it for the first time. I've been here in the winter, but it's my first summer sale. I just came here on a plane of 50 Americans. Most of them have come here for the first time so there's a lot of excitement to come over here and participate in the sale.
“We've heard about it and read about its success for so long, and it's a blessing to be able to come over here and be a part of it.”
