The restructure has seen 31-year-old Ben take over the role of lead trainer from his uncle Tom Dabernig, while JD joins his brother as a co-trainer after seven years of working for Lindsay Park Racing.
In what is a rebuilding phase for the stable, the recent spring carnival was a step in the right direction for the duo – coming away with several promising results including their first Group Two win with Zayydani in the Matriarch Stakes at Flemington last Saturday.
Sitting down for a chat with The News, lead trainer Ben said he was buoyed by how the Lindsay Park runners had performed over the past two months.
“It is our first spring (as a partnership), and the stable has been going through a bit of a rebuilding stage, but overall I think the horses ran very well and were very competitive through the spring carnival,” he said.
“We were very close with Mr Brightside, being only a nose away from winning a Group One, which would have been fantastic, but the stable is very proud of how he ran and to win six in a row in his first prep was a really good effort.”
The win by Zayydani in the Matriarch Stakes was made all the more special as the pair was able to continue the Hayes family’s proud tradition in the race, with grandfather Colin winning its first running in 1986 and late uncle Peter winning it twice in the 1990s.
“The highlight (of the carnival) was Zayydani winning in the Matriarch, she was fantastic and it was a target race that JD and I wanted to win, so to be able to get the job done for the owners was a big thrill,” Ben said.
“It is the biggest win for JD and I in our short career so far and to do it on the biggest stage on one of the biggest days in racing was just fantastic. There is a lot of family history with my dad and grandfather both winning it, so it is nice to be a third generation Hayes Matriarch winner to continue the legacy.”
Officially beginning the training partnership with JD on August 1, Ben said he had really enjoyed being able to work so closely with his brother and take on a bit more responsibility as Lindsay Park’s lead trainer.
“It has been a really good challenge for JD and I and we have loved every moment of it, we get along really well with each other, we are brothers so there are occasional disagreements but that is very normal, and we are lucky we have very good support behind us,” he said.
“The way all things have worked out with Tom leaving the partnership and Dad going overseas we were thrown into the deep end, and I think we have done a really good job.
“We have been able to keep the winners flowing and the horses are running really well, so we are just absolutely loving it and I think the business is in great hands moving forward.”
Although the Melbourne Cup Carnival has come to its conclusion the action does not stop for the Hayes brothers, as they enter Saturday’s Cranbourne Cup with intriguing runner So Si Bon.
Ben said all signs pointed to a strong showing over the 2025m.
“He has been racing well without winning this preparation. His last two runs have been on good tracks on the firm side, and I feel that now he is getting a bit older and deeper into his career a bit of give on the track will be good for him, which is what we are going to get on Saturday,” he said.
“I am expecting him to run a nice and competitive race — we have drawn a bit of an awkward gate for Cranbourne in barrier 14, but he is a good horse and deserves his spot in this race.”
Looking forward to the remainder of this season and the upcoming autumn, Ben highlighted a few horses to look out for.
“A couple horses to watch are Mr Brightside, I think he will be in for a nice autumn, he is having a nice spell now and will be targeted for races such as the Doncaster Mile and All Star Mile. Zayydani has been training on and going very nicely,” he said.
“Then there are some nice progressive three-year-old staying types — there is a nice horse who is still a maiden called All So Clear and I think he can easily go through the grades this autumn.”
