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South China Morning Post
23-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hayes family dreams of international Group One double with Ka Ying Rising and Mr Brightside
One of Australian racing's greatest family dynasties is dreaming of a famous international Group One double with superstar sprinter Ka Ying Rising and nine-time Group One winner Mr Brightside at Sha Tin on Sunday. Three generations of the Hayes family have built an imposing legacy over 78 years, with the Lindsay Park name a constant force in Australia's biggest races. But on Hong Kong's second-biggest meeting of the year, Ben Hayes – who trains Mr Brightside in partnership with brothers Will and JD – said winning the Champions Mile and their father David claiming the Chairman's Sprint Prize (1,200m) with Ka Ying Rising would be an unmatched feat for the famous family. 'If we're able to get the dream and they both win, it will probably be the best day Lindsay Park and our dad have ever had together,' Ben Hayes said. 'It's very unique. We get to have a Group One runner on the same day as our dad.' The late Colin Hayes started the dynasty when he launched his training career in South Australia in 1947. In a 43-year career, he prepared 5,333 winners – including 524 Group and Listed winners – and was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame. His son David took the reins of Lindsay Park in 1990 at the age of 28 and made an immediate impact, which led to the opportunity to train in Hong Kong in 1996. In his first stint in the city, David won two championships, and a Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m) and Hong Kong Derby (2,000m), before returning to Australia in 2005. David became the first trainer in Hong Kong's professional era to return to train in the city in 2020, with Lindsay Park left in good hands with his nephew Tom Dabernig and eldest son, Ben. In 2023, Ben was joined in a training partnership by twin brothers Will and JD, and Mr Brightside quickly established himself as the trio's flag-bearer. Mr Brightside has often been considered for a trip to Hong Kong but finally makes his international debut on Sunday, bidding to add to his strong record, which includes 19 wins and a close second to Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior in the Group One Cox Plate (2,040m) at Moonee Valley. 'From a travelling point of view, couldn't be happier with the way he's settled in,' said Ben Hayes, who spent many of his formative years in Hong Kong along with his brothers during David's first stint in the city. 'We feel he's heading in the right direction heading into Sunday.' In one of the strongest editions of the Champions Mile in recent years, Mr Brightside takes on the likes of Hong Kong's star miler Voyage Bubble, fellow Australian galloper Royal Patronage, Classic Mile hero and Hong Kong Derby runner-up My Wish, and Japan's Gaia Force. 'It is a strong race, but he is a nine-time Group One winner. He deserves to be here and if you look at his record, he's always around the mark,' Ben Hayes said. 'Obviously the favourite [Voyage Bubble] is going to be very hard to beat. One thing in our advantage, I know this track drains very well but he will get a track with give. 'If he gets a track with give, he improves. If you look at his wet-track record, he's nearly undefeated, so that would give us more confidence. If we get a barrier where he can take a sit, that would give us confidence again. We're very happy with him.' Top Australian jockey Craig Williams will ride Mr Brightside, while Ka Ying Rising will be a raging favourite to notch a 12th consecutive victory in the Chairman's Sprint Prize. The Hayes family will be represented in all three Group Ones on Champions Day, with David's Classic Cup (1,800m) winner Rubylot set for the QE II Cup (2,000m).
South China Morning Post
17-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Adrian Bott eyes dream international debut with Royal Patronage in Champions Mile
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have set Royal Patronage for the Champions Mile. Photo: HKJC Australian handler prepares to break new ground with first overseas runner in Hong Kong on Sunday week He's conquered some of Australia's biggest races in partnership with an icon of the sport, but Adrian Bott is excited to break new ground when he has his first overseas runner at Sha Tin next week. Royal Patronage will mark the 37-year-old's first international venture and his co-trainer Gai Waterhouse's first Hong Kong starter in 18 years when he tackles the Group One Champions Mile. After joining Waterhouse in a training partnership in 2016, Bott has celebrated 27 Group One successes including the Golden Slipper, Thousand Guineas and VRC Oaks. Waterhouse is known as Australia's first lady of racing, having broken down barriers for women in the sport and earning legend status in the Australian Racing Hall of Fame for her historic feats as a trainer. Her last runner in Hong Kong was Grand Armee, who ran 11th in the Group One QE II Cup (2,000m) in 2005. Royal Patronage WINS the G1 Canterbury Stakes in a really tough win! 🏆@GaiWaterhouse1 — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 8, 2025 'I'm looking forward to it,' an excited Bott said. 'We've always been keen to travel a horse internationally whenever we have the right horse and the right opportunity. It's all fallen into place with Royal Patronage. Hopefully it's worth the trip.' Royal Patronage arrives in Hong Kong on Friday with top form, including a Group One triumph in the Canterbury Stakes (1,300m) at Randwick in March and a close second to Stefi Magnetica in the Group One Doncaster Mile last start. The son of Wootton Bassett started his career in Britain, notching three straight wins for trainer Mark Johnston in 2021 before adding a Keeneland victory to his record in America for the Graham Motion stable. He was bought by Waterhouse and Bott on behalf of a syndicate of owners for 260,000 guineas at Britain's Tatts Sale in 2023 and finished in the first four in seven of eight runs in Australia. 'We always held it open at the start of the prep when the early entries came through,' Bott said of the Champions Mile option. 'The Doncaster was his main aim and after that, he was three runs in and we thought 'where do we go?'. 'The Mile was always the option if he ran well in the Doncaster, which he did. The George Ryder Stakes [fourth] and the Doncaster runs gave us the confidence to say 'now's the right time'. 'He's a horse that's pretty well seasoned and travelled, he's still lightly raced this campaign and he's in form. 'His two victories first up at Randwick were on good tracks, so I think the conditions we're likely to see over there will certainly suit him.' Bott said another factor in setting Royal Patronage for the Champions Mile was his future prospects as a stallion. An international Group One victory or placing would be a major boost. Tim Clark, who spent three years in Hong Kong and racked up 59 winners, will continue his association with Royal Patronage in the HK$24 million feature. 'Tim's had a fair bit to do with the horse all the way through and he's had experience up there before, which is probably the biggest benefit,' Bott said. A winner at six of 23 starts, Royal Patronage takes on a star-studded field headlined by Hong Kong's top miler Voyage Bubble, nine-time Australian Group One winner Mr Brightside, Britain's Lake Forest and local Group One placegetter Galaxy Patch. Mr Brightside did some light work on the Sha Tin dirt on Thursday morning under the watchful eye of Hong Kong-based trainer David Hayes, the father of the gelding's trainers Ben, Will and JD. He has settled in well since arriving in the city on Tuesday morning.
