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).
