Latest news with #ColinHayes
News.com.au
14-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Post-race jockey reports from the 2025 Stradbroke Handicap
Dominant favourite War Machine gave supporters little need for worry when scoring a commanding win in the $3 million Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday. War Machine is trained by brothers Ben, Will and JD Hayes and provided the famous Australian racing family with their first win in Queensland's signature race. The late Colin Hayes and his son David, Ben Will and JD's father, are both Hall of Fame trainers but neither have won a Stradbroke. War Machine was never far from the speed before surging to the front with 300m to go and was never getting run down, defeating Yellow Brick with Private Eye back in third. War Machine WINS the G1 Stradbroke Handicap! ðŸ�† Tim Clark with a flawless performance in the saddle! — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 14, 2025 War Machine was ridden by Tim Clark and the victory was his sixth from 13 starts, taking his earnings to more than $2.4 million. This is what the riders thought of their mount's performance in the Stradbroke Handicap. 1st - WAR MACHINE (Tim Clark) He got away okay. He was just laying on the side of the gates a little bit, but he got away okay and it worked out pretty well from that draw. Myself and Ben (Hayes), we spoke before the race. Just wanted to get on a three-wide line with a bit of cover. He found Transatlantic's back, who I knew was going to take him far enough. He travelled so well, I probably let him loose a bit early. But this was the grand final, there's no tomorrow, so I wasn't going to die wondering. He let rip, really let rip. Maybe just wandered a little bit late. He could feel Yellow Brick coming late and sort of surged again. I can't take too much credit for it. 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. It's been a wonderful carnival. I love getting up to Queensland. To win the Straddie and just ice what's been a great carnival is a great result. 2nd - YELLOW BRICK (Andrew Mallyon) Really proud of his effort. We all feel vindicated that he he was going good on the track and he'd run a big race today 3rd - PRIVATE EYE (Nash Rawiller) Got a good start and I was able to take advantage of that. I've ridden a couple of good horses now in this race and it is bloody hard to win. Those good ones, they run their best race and still not quite good enough to get them there. As a horse so late in his career, that was one of his best runs ever. 4th - DESERT LIGHTNING (Tommy Berry) Out there it felt like he should have gone close. Had to wait for Private Eye to sprint as we were on his back. I was strung up for a little bit but I was rapt with him late. 5th - BOSUSTOW (Zac Lloyd) No comment provided. 6th - THE INSTRUCTOR (Jett Stanley) Very gallant run in defeat. We drew wide and had to do a bit of work once we got there. Came back underneath me beautifully and travelled up well into the straight then got stuck behind some tiring horses so we had to weave our way through and never actually got a clear run at them. Kept getting shifted on to so kept him going to the line. Couldn't be happier. 7th - ROTHFIRE (Craig Williams) From the outside barrier draw he gave me a beautiful ride from there. I got on the back of the eventual winner, travelled so well but the winner was too good for us late. Just got a bit tired today as Rob Heathcote said, he didn't have the ideal preparation. Gallant. 8th - PAYLINE (Kyle Wilson-Taylor) Plenty of interference early in the race but still happy where I was in the race following Desert Lightning. If he gets the rub of the green he definitely runs top five. He's done a big job this campaign. 9th - TRANSATLANTIC (Angela Jones) Nice run from a bad gate. Wasn't beaten all that far. Travelled into the straight ok but just a bit of argy bargy which he really didn't appreciate. Probably should have finished closer but it was a gallant effort. 10th - GOLDEN MILE (Jason Collett) Copped some squeeze early and I don't think he appreciated that. Wasn't strong late. 11th - THE INFLICTOR (Cejay Graham) Good run. Obviously his toughest task to date but travelled into it well and got buffeted around and didn't handle that. 12th - COLEMAN (Reece Jones) Just a little bit tardy into stride from the bad draw. Forced our hand. Got back with cover and he finished off well. Just too far back today. 13th - RISE AT DAWN (Declan Bates) Went ok. Just caught a bit flat when they quickened so he is probably ready for a mile now. 14th - FAR TOO EASY (Regan Bayliss) That ground is way too firm for him. Now that he's older, he never travelled for me. 15th - SPICY MARTINI (Robbie Dolan) He just didn't begin as well as I'd hoped and then hit the rail really badly on the first bend and that put her out of the race. 16th - FRONT PAGE (Damien Thornton) He ran well. Just had to do a bit more than ideal. 17th - PUNCH LANE (Rachel King) Had to do a lot of work from out wide and the track is probably a bit firm for hi. He tried hard. 18th - ROBUSTO (Kerrin McEvoy) He had to do it a bit tough from the gate. We tried to be positive and couldn't get the spot that we wanted so I had to try a couple of lengths further to get across and it was too much work for him, unfortunately.
News.com.au
06-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Queensland Oaks contender Jenni's Meadow marks full-circle moment for owner Tony Ottobre
In his younger days, prominent owner Tony Ottobre was an apprentice jockey for the late Hall of Fame trainer Colin Hayes. Now, in a full-circle moment, Hayes' grandsons Ben, Will and JD are training Ottobre's filly Jenni's Meadow in what looks to be a wide-open race in the Group 1 Queensland Oaks (2200m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday. The David Vandyke -trained Philia, chasing a fifth straight victory, has drifted slightly to $4.20 in the betting market after drawing barrier 16 while Jenni's Meadow is $8. Group 1 Australasian Oaks winner Benagil is $5.50 and the Chris Waller -trained Movin Out, with James McDonald on board, is $8 in the $700,000 race for three-year-old fillies. Both Movin Out and Jenni's Meadow came from well back in the field to heap the pressure on frontrunning winner Philia in the Group 2 The Roses (2000m) at Doomben two weeks ago. 'She did make a long sustained run and the way she finished off, you'd think the extra 200m (in the Oaks) will be no problem,' Ben Hayes said. 'We're really happy with her and she's done everything right. 'She's really thrived and her final piece of work earlier in the week was excellent. 'We feel like we're right on track, we're just going to need a little bit of luck from barrier one, which is the opposite of The Roses (barrier 14).' Ottobre started out as an apprentice jockey in the early 1970s for legendary trainer Colin Hayes, who established the famous Lindsay Park Stud in South Australia's Barossa Valley. Hayes built a training and breeding empire that produced an incredible 5333 winners by the time he retired in 1990, including two Melbourne Cup victories with Beldale Ball (1980) and At Talaq in 1986. • 'How do they work that out?': Trainer queries Joliestar 'best horse' tag Ottobre eventually realised his future lay in owning horses rather than riding them and he became a successful businessman. He now keeps his stable of horses at his Cape Schanck farm on the Mornington Peninsula, enjoying enormous success over the past two years with three-time Group 1 champion and reigning horse of the year Pride Of Jenni. 'He's got a little bit of history with Lindsay Park, which is good, so it'll be exciting to get a good winner for Tony,' Ben Hayes said about Ottobre, who names his Jenni horses after his daughter, who tragically died from brain cancer at age 26 in 2015. 'He's passionate and he loves his horses. She (Jenni's Meadow) has been a very good horse for him the whole way through. 'She's a Listed winner, black-type Group 2, Group 3 placed and she'll be around the mark. 'She's definitely more than capable (of winning the Oaks).' All horses in the three Group 1s – the Oaks, Queensland Derby (2400m) and Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) – at Eagle Farm on Saturday have been passed by vets, with the exception of Let's Fly. Vets say the $21 Oaks chance has some muscle soreness and the filly will need to be trotted up again on race morning.
News.com.au
02-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Trainer Ben Hayes chasing Stradbroke Handicap win before the birth of his first child
Family patriarch Colin Hayes adopted the motto 'the future belongs to those who plan for it' and Lindsay Park's current crop is upholding the tradition. Ben Hayes is the latest of Colin's grandsons to start a family on his own as he confirmed his wife, racing media personality Grace Ramage, is expecting the couple's first child later this year. Hayes's twin brothers and training partners Will and JD became fathers to sons last year but he said he and Ramage were expecting a daughter. 'We've got a little girl on the way. It's so exciting,' Hayes said. 'She's the first girl.' Hayes said time would tell whether the Hayes dynasty would stretch to a fourth generation. 'It really depends on the next generation,' Hayes said. 'If they want to do it, we'll certainly support them.' • 'It jeopardises the Stradbroke': Benedetta back-up gamble While the Hayes family will have cause for celebration in a few months' time, the training trio could take Lindsay Park into uncharted territory in the Group 1 $3 million Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) on June 14. Neither Colin nor their father David has prevailed in Queensland's most famous race but recent stable recruit War Machine raced to Stradbroke favouritism with his dominant win the Group 3 BRC Sprint at Doomben. Bookmakers promoted War Machine to the $4 favourite in Stradbroke betting with that quote set to tighten should Chris Waller withdraw Newmarket Handicap winner Joliestar from the $3m event. Hayes said War Machine had progressed well since his Doomben win but the camp had to finalise one important detail for the four-year-old's Stradbroke Handicap bid. 'We've got to find a jockey and that will probably be after this week,' Hayes said. 'He gets into the Straddie really well with only 53 (kg). 'I think he's a deserved favourite and his form is great. 'Hopefully he can have a bit of luck with the barrier.' A race-to-race double for @blake_shinn as War Machine wins the last at Doomben in impressive fashion! @lindsayparkrace — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 24, 2025 • Group 1-winning jockey facing six weeks on the sidelines War Machine will be out to give prominent Melbourne owner Rupert Legh his third Stradbroke Handicap win. The late Mike Moroney prepared Mr Baritone (2008) and Tofane (2021) to win the event carrying Legh's navy and yellow silks. Tofane went on to win another two Group 1 events. Hayes said War Machine could also develop into a consistent Group 1 performer in the spring. 'We don't want to think too far ahead and we'll just focus on the Straddie but he would be an excellent Toorak horse and I think they moved the Rupert Clarke back to where it was as well,' Hayes said. 'There's heaps of that type of race for him so there's plenty of options. 'He's hard to get a guide on at home because he's a lazy worker, just like Mr B but he just turns up race day. 'We love horses that do it and that's what he's done for us so far.'
