Latest news with #HayesBrothers
News.com.au
3 days ago
- 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
3 days ago
- 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.'
News.com.au
23-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Trainer Rex Lipp says Cifrado must win BRC Sprint to make Stradbroke Handicap field
Toowoomba trainer Rex Lipp has declared that his stable star Cifrado needs to win Saturday's BRC Sprint to have any hope of making the prestigious Stradbroke Handicap. 'He's got to win it,' Lipp said about the $300,000 Group 3 race, which offers a golden ticket into the feature Stradbroke (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 14. 'If he doesn't win it, he goes to the paddock.' Cejay Graham returns from suspension to hop on board the four-year-old gelding from barrier two in the BRC Sprint (1350m) after regular rider Kyle Wilson-Taylor decided to instead steer $19 chance Matcha Latte for Wyong trainer Sara Ryan. 'He hasn't had a lot of luck on him so who knows?' Lipp said about Wilson-Taylor declining the ride. 'He's an easy horse to ride, you've just got to use your common sense. He's as good as I can get him, it's just a matter of whether he's good enough.' With a rating of 102, Cifrado sits on the fringe on qualifying for the $3m Stradbroke but he will need to beat a strong field in the BRC Sprint that includes the Ben, Will and JD Hayes-trained $3.70 favourite War Machine, which is coming off a last-start victory over Jimmy The Bear in a Benchmark 100 (1400m) at Caulfield on May 10. The Hayes brothers' Rise At Dawn, which finished fourth in last month's Group 1 Doncaster Mile at Randwick, is also strong in the market at $6.50. Cifrado, who has won $1.7m in prizemoney with five wins from 26 starts, is a $23 chance in the BRC Sprint. Last year's Group 2 BRC Sires' Produce Stakes winner will appreciate the extra distance of 1350m after his flop in the 1200m Group 2 Victory Stakes this month. Topweight Yellow Brick, trained by father-and-daughter combination Tony and Maddy Sears, has a 107 rating, which should be good enough to make the Stradbroke field. The five-year-old gelding, who hasn't raced since finishing fifth in the $1.5m Magic Millions QTIS Open (1300m) in January, has won both his trials this month. 'He's in very good order, I couldn't be any happier with him,' Maddy Sears said. 'His rating looks enough to get him in the Straddie so hopefully we don't have the worry of anything. We'll go for the win-and-your're-in theory and get the job done. 'I just want the sun to keep shining and shining because he's very good on a dry surface. 'Most times he's been beaten it's been caused by a wet track.'
News.com.au
13-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Imported jumper Loft could chase Melbourne Cup start in Andrew Ramsden at Flemington
Rain could be the catalyst for an equine intellectual to test his resurgence in Saturday's Listed Andrew Ramsden at Flemington. Loft has struggled on the flat since his delayed start to racing in Australia following a long-term leg injury that forced him out of the 2022 Melbourne Cup. • The German-bred galloper won at Group 2 level in his homeland and the US before arriving in Australia but has not filled a placing in his local runs for the Hayes brothers or his current trainer Shane Jackson. However, Loft has been a revelation over jumps. Loft has cruised to easy wins at his two hurdle outings but Jackson would like to see whether the gelding's rejuvenation extended to the flat. 'He's galloping like he has a bit of spark and the jumps have really sparked him back up,' Jackson said. 'If we've sparked him up enough, he definitely has the ability to be able to do it. 'He just has to decide himself that he wants to do it. 'Hopefully the rain comes because I'd love to see him go around. 'If he's running in the Andrew Ramsden on Saturday, he'll be jumping six flights of hurdles the day before. 'If he can get his toe into the track, he won't disgrace himself.' Jackson said Loft amazed him with his intelligence from the moment he gave the now seven-year-old his first hurdle school last year. He said Loft's intelligence meant he needed constant variety and tricky handling to convince him to do his best. 'He's probably one of the smartest horses that I've ever had anything to do with so you're constantly trying to change things up for him,' Jackson said. 'The motor is there and we're definitely not writing off a flat career but the jumping will still be mixed among because, if you put a hurdle in front of this horse, he just changes. 'If you make him think he's going better than he is, he seems to find more. He's not a horse that I don't think would respond by getting bullied into anything, he hasn't for me anyway. 'He's a real character.'
News.com.au
12-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Rise At Dawn out to give Lindsay Park a first Stradbroke Handicap win
Lindsay Park trainers Ben, JD and Will Hayes have earmarked their candidate to give the Hayes family its first win in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap in Brisbane. The Lindsay Park dynasty has won hundreds of Group 1 races in its various incarnations but is yet to feature on the Stradbroke Handicap honour roll. The Hayes brothers will send multiple stakes winner Rise At Dawn north in a bid to change that fact in next month's edition of Queensland's greatest race. Rise At Dawn has won eight of 15 starts and finished an admirable fourth to last year's Stradbroke winner Stefi Magnetica in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile in Sydney at his most recent outing. 'He didn't have too many excuses in the Doncaster,' Hayes said. 'If anything, he might have got going earlier. 'He made it a bit of a sit and sprint, and he got outsprinted, but we have no complaints. He ran super.' Ben Hayes said Rise At Dawn's Doncaster Mile effort showed he would be hard to beat in a Stradbroke. Stradbroke winner Stefi Magnetica reigns supreme in the G1 Doncaster Mile, as @BBakerRacing and Jason Collett celebrate another success ! 🙌 @aus_turf_club | @WorldPool — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 5, 2025 • 'He's definitely our Stradbroke horse,' he said. 'I think he'll get in nicely with a lowish weight.' Hayes said Rise At Dawn spent time at Lindsay Park's Euroa base before returning to Flemington for a jumpout last Friday. Rise At Dawn won his 800m heat, indicating he was tracking well towards his Queensland trip. 'We've just been keeping him happy at the farm and ticking him over,' Hayes said. 'He trialled very well on Friday, like he always does.' Hayes said Rise At Dawn would have a lead-up run in the Group 3 BRC Sprint (1350m) on May 24 before progressing to the Stradbroke Handicap on June 14. Hayes noted Rise At Dawn would be liable for a Stradbroke Handicap penalty should he win the BRC Sprint but said a weight increase was unlikely to hinder the gelding too much in the $3m feature. 'It will be a good tick-over run and if he wins it, I won't mind because he won't go up too much in weight,' Hayes said. Rise At Dawn is a $15 chance in early Stradbroke Handicap betting. Hayes said Rise At Dawn would be one of possibly six Queensland-bound runners from the Lindsay Park stable. Madiyya delivers on her relentless market support, powering away to win comfortably at the post ðŸ'« @lindsayparkrace — (@Racing) May 10, 2025 Recent stable recruits Coeur Volante and Bankers Choice are likely to head north along with last Saturday's Caulfield winners Madiyya and War Machine. Hayes said Bankers Choice, who is also entered for Saturday's Listed Andrew Ramsden at Flemington, could follow a similar program to the 2023 Caulfield and Melbourne Cup winner Without A Fight. Bankers Choice has qualified for the Caulfield Cup after winning last month's Mornington Cup, giving the Hayes brothers a number of options for the rising eight-year-old. It's Bankers Choice's Mornington Cup! ðŸ�†ðŸ�¦ The Glen Thompson-trained stayer adds another Cup to his mantlepiece following a masterpiece piece of riding by @DanielStack33. â€' (@Racing) April 19, 2025 'He's qualified for the Caulfield Cup now, so we just have to keep him ticking over,' Hayes said. 'We'll do it a little bit like Without a Fight up there. 'Then we'll go the weight-for-age route into the Caulfield Cup.'
