MELBOURNE Cup-winning trainer David Hayes flies out of Hong Kong today with the territory uppermost in his mind. Hayes, 32, and already firmly ensconced as one of the world's great trainers despite holding a licence for only four years, is set to apply for a Hong Kong trainer's licence for the start of next season.
He said yesterday: 'The first thing that must happen is for the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club to decide whether they will have any vacancies for next season. 'If there is a vacancy then yes, I will apply and then, like a lot of other people I will sit back and hope. 'But I would love to be given the opportunity to participate up here.
The big days down in Australia are something special, but every meeting up here compares to the carnivals back at home. 'I don't know what it is, but there is something special about the place. I love it up here.' The news that Hayes is going to apply for a trainer's licence for the start of next season coincides with the first of a series of meetings the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club hierarchy are having to thrash out training arrangements for the term ahead.
They met formally last night to discuss the issue, starting with basic problems of if and when to invite applications and how to sift through them. Those trainers already licensed are firmly against the idea of any new handlers and have made their views known to club officials. But with a recent and significant increase in stable space at the Sha Tin training complex, and a two-year moratorium on new trainers coming to a close, it is thought the only way forward is for the Club to increase the training ranks by two. This would be split between an expatriate handler, with a world-class reputation, and a local trainer.
Hayes fits the bill. As well as his detailed knowledge of the local racing scene, his record since he succeeded his legendary father, Colin Hayes, has been remarkable. In four short years at the helm of the family's Lindsay Park establishment in South Australia, he has sent out 30 Group One winners, including the Melbourne Cup (Jeune), the Japan Cup and W. S. Cox Plate (Better Loosen Up), the Caulfield Cup (Fraar), the Caulfield Guineas twice (St Covet and Palace Reign) and the prestigious Blue Diamond Stakes (Canonise).
He has trained over 1,000 winners in total and set a world record of six Group winners in a single day, when knocking them for six on Victoria Racing Club Derby meeting during his first season. He also holds the Commonwealth record for the most winners in one season - 306. Two years ago, the word that Hayes could come and train in Hong Kong led to local and expatriate trainers presenting a united front to the Jockey Club calling for a moratorium on new handlers. That was eventually granted, but things have changed since then, primarily due to the increased stable space which would also allow for a local assistant trainer to be given an opportunity to prove his worth.
