Oak Hill the first Michael Moroney horse to race for Hayes brothers at Caulfield on Saturday
A new era will begin when Oak Hill steps out for the Hayes brothers in Saturday's Tobin Brothers Handicap at Caulfield.
Oak Hill will be the first Melbourne runner to emerge from the Lindsay Park operation's absorption of the Ballymore Stables business of the late Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Mike Moroney.
Moroney's partner Karen decided against taking over the business while training partner Glen Thompson opted to train in his own right, making an instant splash when winning last Saturday's Group 1 Australasian Oaks with Benagil.
Co-trainer Ben Hayes said Moroney's former racing manager Anthony Feroce would play a crucial role in the transition.
He said Feroce's knowledge of Moroney's former team would be a valuable asset as Lindsay Park staff get to know the influx of horses.
'They're just going into our system and they're just being transferred into our stable today,' Hayes, who trains in partnership with his brothers Will and JD, said.
'Anthony Feroce is now working for us and we'll just get to know the horses.
'It's very good that he's joining the team.
'We'll absorb them into the business and do our best to get the right results.'
Oak Hill will drop in class at Caulfield following his eye-catching second to Midwest in the $500,000 Country Discovery at Echuca on Good Friday.
Hayes said the four-year-old was in the perfect race on Saturday but his outing would also be a learning experience for the trainers.
'He was amazing last start when he flew home and was really impressive,' Hayes said.
'I think it will be a really good opportunity to try and get his rating up to try and target better races in the spring.
'Off his last run, you'll think he'll be hard to beat.
'It's a Benchmark 90 and he's an 86-rater so it will be the perfect race.'
Hayes said the camp would undergo a process to gather information about the new arrivals before mapping out programs in the coming weeks.
'We'll just sit down, go through them and look at them ourselves and get to know them,' Hayes said.
'When we get to know the horses, we'll make those decisions.'
Oak Hill has been well-backed to score on debut for Lindsay Park, firming from $3.80 to become a clear $3.10 favourite.
Godolphin galloper Fleetwood has eased from $4.20 to $4.80 while speedster Shirshov, who finished second in the Country Discovery, is a $6 chance.
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