Latest news with #JDHayes
The Australian
14-06-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
‘The boys have done it': David Hayes proud of sons' landmark Stradbroke Handicap success
Proud dad David Hayes declared his sons 'might have a very good horse on their hands' as War Machine broke the Stradbroke Handicap duck of the famous Lindsay Park racing dynasty in sensational style. David Hayes was watching online from Hong Kong as the progressive four-year-old gelding that is trained by his sons, Ben, JD and Will, franked his tag as $3.20 Stradbroke favourite. Emotions ran high as the horse formerly trained by the late, great Mike Moroney surged to Stradbroke glory despite a late scare from runner-up Yellow Brick, the Queenslander who was sent out at $41 but almost created a Stradbroke shock. Racenet iQ members get full access to our Pro Tips service, where Greg and our team of professional punters provide daily tips with fully transparent return on investment statistics. SUBSCRIBE NOW and start punting like a pro! Seasoned campaigner Private Eye finished third after being stamped urgent and sent forward at the start, with Joe Pride always concerned that his horse carrying 57kg might be overrun by a talented lightweight. It seems extraordinary that the famed Lindsay Park dynasty, stretching back decades, never had a Stradbroke winner until Saturday. They hadn't had a Doncaster winner either until the new generation Hayes boys trained the star Mr Brightside. David Hayes feels War Machine might be something out of the box. • What the jockeys said: 2025 Stradbroke Handicap 'The way he won, to run away with it like that, he might be a very good horse,' David Hayes told Racenet from Hong Kong. 'My boys were always confident that he was a Group 1 performer and they have been proven right. 'As long as the horse stays sound, I am sure there are more Group 1s to come. 'Personally, I didn't go to Queensland with a lot of my horses when I was training in Australia but it is certainly great for the family to have now won a Stradbroke. 'The boys have done it.' There were plenty of feel-good stories in the Stradbroke with Rothfire letting no-one down when finishing seventh and only beaten three lengths on a firm track that was never going to be in his sweet spot. Truck driver and hobby trainer Craig Cousins was happy enough with the performance of The Inflictor, finishing 11th and beaten less than five lengths, although he cursed the fact he wasn't able to get much clear air in the run. War Machine had been Stradbroke favourite since his dominant win in the Group 3 BRC Sprint but there had been those questioning his stranglehold on the betting market. • 'Would have been a Straddie force': Pier wins consolation in style Even owner Rupert Legh told Racenet last week that he couldn't possibly be backing War Machine at the odds on offer. It was Legh's fourth Stradbroke win and his thoughts would have been with his great mate Moroney who first identified War Machine as a New Zealander to bring to Australian shores. Co-trainer Ben Hayes also paid tribute to the late Moroney and hailed the performance of the horse. 'We're very proud, it was an amazing result today,' Ben Hayes said. 'We're fortunate to be able to get that horse from Mike Moroney and he's an amazing, exciting horse. 'It's funny, a lot of people expect him to be a big, powerful horse. 'But he's got a physique like Mr Brightside, so hopefully he's the same.' Co-trainer Ben Hayes was thrilled with the win. Picture: Trackside Photography Jockey Tim Clark picked up the ride on War Machine after never having ridden him before. 'I can't take too much credit for it,' Clark said. 'What a great job by Ben and his brothers to just have him spot on for today. 'I was just the lucky one to get the call up.' Queenslander Yellow Brick, trained by father and daughter team Tony and Maddy Sears, ran the race of his life, and looked set to make things very interesting as he launched a run but failed to nab War Machine. 'I'm really proud of his effort,' jockey Andrew Mallyon said. 'We all feel vindicated as we thought he would run a big race today.' Tony Gollan's Stradbroke contender Transatlantic, who only sneaked into the field on Friday as an emergency, was strongly backed to start $9 but didn't have any luck from a wide barrier and finished ninth.
News.com.au
14-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
War Machine does it with ease in the Stradbroke Handicap
Proud dad David Hayes declared his sons 'might have a very good horse on their hands' as War Machine broke the Stradbroke Handicap duck of the famous Lindsay Park racing dynasty in sensational style. David Hayes was watching online from Hong Kong as the progressive four-year-old gelding that is trained by his sons, Ben, JD and Will, franked his tag as $3.20 Stradbroke favourite. Emotions ran high as the horse formerly trained by the late, great Mike Moroney surged to Stradbroke glory despite a late scare from runner-up Yellow Brick, the Queenslander who was sent out at $41 but almost created a Stradbroke shock. Seasoned campaigner Private Eye finished third after being stamped urgent and sent forward at the start, with Joe Pride always concerned that his horse carrying 57kg might be overrun by a talented lightweight. It seems extraordinary that the famed Lindsay Park dynasty, stretching back decades, never had a Stradbroke winner until Saturday. They hadn't had a Doncaster winner either until the new generation Hayes boys trained the star Mr Brightside. David Hayes feels War Machine might be something out of the box. 'The way he won, to run away with it like that, he might be a very good horse,' David Hayes told Racenet from Hong Kong. 'My boys were always confident that he was a Group 1 performer and they have been proven right. 'As long as the horse stays sound, I am sure there are more Group 1s to come. 'Personally, I didn't go to Queensland with a lot of my horses when I was training in Australia but it is certainly great for the family to have now won a Stradbroke. 'The boys have done it.' War Machine WINS the G1 Stradbroke Handicap! ðŸ�† Tim Clark with a flawless performance in the saddle! â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 14, 2025 There were plenty of feel-good stories in the Stradbroke with Rothfire letting no-one down when finishing seventh and only beaten three lengths on a firm track that was never going to be in his sweet spot. Truck driver and hobby trainer Craig Cousins was happy enough with the performance of The Inflictor, finishing 11th and beaten less than five lengths, although he cursed the fact he wasn't able to get much clear air in the run. War Machine had been Stradbroke favourite since his dominant win in the Group 3 BRC Sprint but there had been those questioning his stranglehold on the betting market. Even owner Rupert Legh told Racenet last week that he couldn't possibly be backing War Machine at the odds on offer. It was Legh's fourth Stradbroke win and his thoughts would have been with his great mate Moroney who first identified War Machine as a New Zealander to bring to Australian shores. Co-trainer Ben Hayes also paid tribute to the late Moroney and hailed the performance of the horse. 'We're very proud, it was an amazing result today,' Ben Hayes said. 'We're fortunate to be able to get that horse from Mike Moroney and he's an amazing, exciting horse. 'It's funny, a lot of people expect him to be a big, powerful horse. 'But he's got a physique like Mr Brightside, so hopefully he's the same.' Jockey Tim Clark picked up the ride on War Machine after never having ridden him before. 'I can't take too much credit for it,' Clark said. 'What a great job by Ben and his brothers to just have him spot on for today. 'I was just the lucky one to get the call up.' Queenslander Yellow Brick, trained by father and daughter team Tony and Maddy Sears, ran the race of his life, and looked set to make things very interesting as he launched a run but failed to nab War Machine. 'I'm really proud of his effort,' jockey Andrew Mallyon said. 'We all feel vindicated as we thought he would run a big race today.' Tony Gollan's Stradbroke contender Transatlantic, who only sneaked into the field on Friday as an emergency, was strongly backed to start $9 but didn't have any luck from a wide barrier and finished ninth.
News.com.au
30-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Rise At Dawn primed to spring upset in Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup
Kingsford Smith Cup contender Rise At Dawn is the Hayes brothers' 'ugly duckling' who has done what superstar stablemate Mr Brightside couldn't. Will Hayes, who trains alongside his brothers Ben and JD, pointed out that Rise At Dawn won the Listed The Elms Handicap (1400m) at Flemington in February first-up in his preparation, an achievement that even the great Mr Brightside couldn't pull off in 2022. 'By no means is this an easy race,' he said about the Group 1 $1m Kingsford Smith, which offers a golden ticket to the Stradbroke Handicap for the winner. 'He's certainly going to be right there to the finish because he's a horse with tremendous high-cruising speed and he does get pretty quick to the corner. 'I remember what he did first-up in The Elms in the autumn. He goes pretty good first-up so we're very excited for the weekend. 'Mr Brightside actually kicked off one preparation in The Elms and wasn't able to do it so he's certainly in pretty good company.' Four-year-old Rise At Dawn is a $17 chance for the Kingsford Smith Cup, well behind favourite Joliestar ($2.90), Giga Kick ($5), Benedetta ($7.50) and Bosustow ($8.50) in the market. The gelding that co-trainer Ben Hayes last month described as an 'ugly duckling, but he's all heart' was initially slated to run in last weekend's Group 3 BRC Sprint (1350m) but a bad barrier draw led to his scratching. 'We decided to bide our time and I'm glad we did because we've come up with a very good barrier (one) in what looks to be a competitive race,' Will Hayes said. 'It's a weight-for-age path as well so if we win, it doesn't change our weight in the Stradbroke (52.5kg).' Asked about the 'ugly duckling' reference, Will said: 'He's certainly not a picture by any means. 'It's a bit like there's no such thing as an ugly rich bloke and there's no such thing as an ugly fast horse. 'He's by Almanzor and he keeps rising to every occasion.' A Kingsford Smith Cup victory would not only secure a spot in the Stradbroke, but the $600,000 winner's cheque would push Rise At Dawn's prizemoney well beyond the $1m mark. 'I think you can make a case for probably eight horses in the race,' Hayes said. 'They'll more than likely be having to give us a decent start but we're meeting them all at set weights so it's going to be a very good barometer as we head towards the Stradbroke.' Rise At Dawn flopped in the All-Star Mile (1600m) at Flemington in the autumn before his last start, an impressive fourth in the $4m Group 1 Doncaster Mile, which was won by last year's Stradbroke Handicap champion Stefi Magnetica on April 5.
The Australian
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
2025 BRC Sprint: War Machine wins for Lindsay Park
The Lindsay Park dynasty has a golden chance to win its first Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap after War Machine proved he was a machine by blowing away his opposition in the Group 3 BRC Sprint. With the race offering a golden ticket into next month's Stradbroke, War Machine was sent out the well-backed $2.40 favourite and did the business under Blake Shinn. It was the icing on the Doomben cake for Shinn who not long earlier had won a record-breaking fourth Group 1 Doomben Cup, riding Queensland freak Antino to glory. War Machine's BRC Sprint triumph prompted bookmakers to elevate the four-year-old – who had been trained by the late Mike Moroney prior to his death – to outright $5 Stradbroke favourite. Lindsay Park founder Colin Hayes never won the Stradbroke Handicap, nor did his son David but grandsons Ben, Will and JD Hayes will now chase Queensland's biggest race. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 'That was an unbelievable effort by the horse,' JD Hayes said. 'We've only had him a short time. 'He came in incredible condition from Ballymore and we've been very lucky to inherit him. 'It looked like we'd get a beautiful run from the barrier and he's let down well. 'He had his ears pricked on the line and we're really looking forward to the Stradbroke.' • 'That was serious, wasn't it?': Antino makes Doomben Cup a one-act affair Man of the moment Shinn paid tribute to the late Moroney. 'I had a little bit to do with this horse when Mike Moroney trained him and he did a great job nurturing him in his early days,' Shinn said. 'The Hayes boys are the beneficiary of that. 'If he runs in the Straddy, I think he'll be hard to beat.' While War Machine was dominant, Far Too Easy also stood up to be counted in finishing runner-up and Murwillumbah trainer David McColm indicated a Stradbroke mission was on the cards. Far Too Easy is the fairytale horse who has survived deadly floods and bacterial infections and surged to glory in last year's $2m The Kosciuszko at Randwick. He has since produced a couple of lacklustre runs but his BRC Sprint effort was much better and his rating will almost certainly get him a Stradbroke berth. • Nash Rawiller makes bold Stradbroke prediction after Doomben demolition 'The winner was too good today but I thought my horse's effort was great,' McColm said. 'He did what we know he can do. 'Assuming he goes to the Stradbroke, the weight difference in that race will be a big difference for him. 'He needed to do something today to go towards the Stradbroke. 'We had been disappointed with his last two runs but we have had a lot of wet weather in New South Wales and it's been a hard slog these last six months 'I think we have got him back.'
