The Hayes clan is hoping FWD Champions Day at Sha Tin on Sunday, April 27 will be much more than an impromptu family reunion for David and Prue and their three sons Ben, Will and JD.
They are also hoping for a big celebratory dinner later that night.
In a unique twist, David and his co-trainer sons have runners in the three Group 1 features and they are all products of the Hayes’ famed Lindsay Park establishment at Euroa in Victoria.
David Hayes will saddle sprinting sensation Ka Ying Rising in the HK$22 million Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) and Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) hero Rubylot in the HK$28 million Group 1 FWD QEII Cup (2000m).
Ben, Will and JD have nine-time Group 1 winner Mr Brightside primed for his attack on the HK$24 million Group 1 FWD Champions Mile (1600m) in what will be the seven-year-old gelding’s first overseas assignment.
The three Hayes boys are no strangers to Hong Kong, where they lived for 10 years during their father’s first training stint at Sha Tin where he was twice champion trainer in 1997/98 and 1998/99.
Now back in Hong Kong for a second time, David Hayes is again making a huge impact and having Ka Ying Rising, the world’s highest-rated sprinter, has only enhanced his reputation.
For JD Hayes and his brothers, they’re thrilled to be joining their father on such an important day in the Hong Kong racing calendar but they aren’t underestimating the task facing them and their stable favourite.
“Hopefully it will be a big day for the family with Mr Brightside and with Dad having the favourite Ka Ying Rising in the sprint,” JD said.
“It’s going to be a chock-a-block day with Rubylot, as well.
“All three of the horses were at Lindsay Park, but (Mr) Brightside obviously never left, so all three came through the Lindsay Park school.”
Hayes said both Ka Ying Rising and Rubylot were owned by syndicates who were open to trading them and Hong Kong “came knocking.”
“Australia’s loss is Hong Kong’s gain,” JD said.
“I would be lying to say that we would have declared him (Ka Ying Rising) the world champion or otherwise we probably would have never sold him on behalf of our clients.
“But we thought he was definitely a nice horse and you can never measure how much a horse improves but he has improved out of sight obviously under dad’s care and with a bit of maturity. But he is only four so the best is yet to come.”
Hayes is also proud to talk-up the star quality and consistency of Mr Brightside who has raced 43 times for 19 wins, 11 seconds and three thirds for prizemoney of AU$17.38 million (approx. HK$84 million).
“He has been the model of consistency and rarely lets us down. He has won nine Group 1s and an All-Star Mile (1600m) before it was a Group 1 and he has run second in seven Group 1s,” he said.
“I think he will represent Australia well.”
Mr Brightside hasn’t raced since his narrow second in the All-Star Mile at Flemington on 8 March, but had his second jump-out over 780m which he won last Friday at Flemington.
“He is absolutely spot on so he’ll get to Hong Kong and do a nice piece of work and he’ll be there in really good order,” Hayes said.
“It’s a good field he is facing, especially the Hong Kong representation with Voyage Bubble. It’s definitely not going to be a walk in the park.”
Mr Brightside arrived in Hong Kong on Monday (14 April) and will be under the care of foreman Ross Wishart until Ben Hayes flies in on Saturday. JD and Will plan to fly in just before the race.
JD Hayes, who says he can speak some Chinese, hopes to train in Hong Kong in the future.
Champion jockey Craig Williams will ride Mr Brightside.
Horse racing news
