Latest news with #HayesBrothers
South China Morning Post
14-06-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hayes brothers and Tim Clark combine as War Machine lands the Stradbroke
War Machine lived up to his name with an explosive display to win the Group One Stradbroke Handicap (1,400m) at Eagle Farm for the Hayes brothers. Ridden by Tim Clark, the winner of 59 races in Hong Kong including the 2013 Classic Cup on It Has To Be You, the Harry Angel gelding settled just forward of midfield, sitting three wide with cover. Hooked out on the turn, War Machine charged home down the outside and readily collared the leaders, winning by just under a length from a fast-finishing Yellow Brick. War Machine WINS the G1 Stradbroke Handicap! 🏆 Tim Clark with a flawless performance in the saddle! — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 14, 2025 The $2.6 favourite was a popular winner for brothers Ben, Will and JD Hayes, who are the sons of Hong Kong trainer David Hayes, and co-trainer Ben was full of emotion post-race. '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.' And a humble Clark, who rode the perfect race, deflected all praise onto his willing partner and the trainers. David Hayes (middle) with his sons JD (left) and Will (right). HK Racing News Get updates direct to your inbox Sign up Best Bets Racing News By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy Error: Please enter a valid email. The email address is already in use. Please login to subscribe. Error, please try again later. THANK YOU You are one the list. '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,' said Clark. '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.'
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
13-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Trainer Maddy Sears says Yellow Brick ‘well over the odds' for Stradbroke Handicap
Gold Coast trainer Maddy Sears compares her Stradbroke Handicap contender Yellow Brick to a cute and cuddly Labrador Retriever who loves attention. The five-year-old gelding is a $34 chance – 'well over the odds' according to Sears – for the Group 1 $3m Stradbroke (1400m) on Saturday at Eagle Farm. 'The best way to describe him is that he's kind of like a Labrador dog,' said Sears, who trains in partnership with her dad Tony. 'I do everything with him. He's really cruisy and he loves to be the centre of attention. 'He's a very easy horse to train and a real happy-go-lucky kind of horse.' Yellow Brick was the second emergency in last year's Stradbroke but failed to secure a start in a race won by Queensland jockey Zac Lloyd on $16 chance Stefi Magnetica. 'He's well and truly made the field this year and I think he's a better horse now,' Sears said about Yellow Brick. 'He's rock-solid fit and we couldn't be any happier with him. 'He had a good gallop on Tuesday which will put him in good stead for the weekend.' Brothers Ben, Will and JD Hayes train the $3 favourite War Machine in a wide-open hunt for the $1.8m prizemoney which goes to the winner of Queensland's premier race. 'I think it's a very open race and there are very different formlines that are going to come through, it's definitely an interesting race,' Sears said. The Sears paid just $20,000 for Yellow Brick in 2021 and with his prizemoney having cracked the $2m mark (including bonuses), the gelding has well and truly been a bargain buy. Local jockey Andrew Mallyon will ride Yellow Brick with a 53.5kg weight from barrier 8 in the Stradbroke on Saturday.
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.
News.com.au
29-05-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Jockey Anthony Darmanin chasing first mainland stakes win since 2019 in Bel Esprit Stakes at Caulfield
Winning Saturday's Listed Bel Esprit Stakes would be a good way to help jockey Anthony Darmanin comply with Victorian licence requirements. Victorian jockeys must ride in at least 24 races in the state each year to retain their licence, a condition Darmanin is working through with the aid of leading trainers Ben, JD and Will Hayes. Darmanin rides at all Tasmanian race meetings but lives in Melbourne where he rides work every day he is available at Lindsay Park's Flemington stable. 'They (the Hayes brothers) have been good to me,' Darmanin said. 'I have got to do my 24 Victorian rides to keep my licence in Victoria so I work for them every morning and they throw me a bone here and there, which is good of them. 'If good opportunities to get more come up, I'll take them but, I don't really push myself out there. 'Tassie is working really well for me so I just pretty much focus on Tasmania.' Darmanin said he was happy with his riding life at the moment despite jumping on a plane to cross Bass Strait a couple of times a week. Darmanin has ridden 63 winners in Tasmania at a 20 per cent strike rate, putting him 21 wins ahead of his nearest rival Kelvin Sanderson. Darmanin hit the heights of Australian racing as part of the Mystic Journey story, winning the Group 1 Australian Guineas as well as the inaugural All-Star Mile in March 2019. The jockey, who won the Launceston Cup in February, will chase his first stakes win on the mainland since the 2019 PB Lawrence Stakes in Saturday's Bel Esprit Stakes. Darmanin will ride Stuart Gandy -trained Geegees Gemstone in the $175,000 feature. The gelding is a $34 chance but Darmanin was keen to see how the winner of eight of 19 starts in Tasmania fared in a Melbourne contest. 'He's definitely got good ability but he's definitely a tricky horse to ride because he likes to think things always go his way,' Darmanin said. 'There's no races for him in Tassie so Stuart has decided to have a look to see if he's good enough to measure up in Melbourne. 'He won the (Tasmanian) Newmarket first-up last time in but after that, he wasn't going as well. 'Stuart says the horse, who has already landed in Melbourne, is really well so we're just hoping for a good showing. 'Saturday is obviously an unknown with this bloke but hopefully he can measure up.'
