HISTORICAL FEATURE: COLIN HAYES STEPS DOWN”,,,,by Graham Dawson May 1990

28/08/14

The following story was written by the late Graham Dawson in the May 1990 edition of Turf Monthly and gives a wonderful insight into the day that Hall of Fame trainer Colin Hayes decided to step down from Lindsay Park and hand the reins to his son David who was just 27 at the time.

Unedited the article read:

After 40 years as public trainer Colin Sydney Hayes, 65, has announced his retirement.

Colin is handing over the reins of the powerful Lindsay Park’ stables to his son, David 27. Colin Hayes was 21 when he trained his first winner at Strathalbyn all those years ago.

Hayes announced his impending retirement in an emotion charged W.S. Cox Plate presentation ceremony at Moonee Valley last Spring.

“If I dropped off the perch now, it would be difficult for David to pick up the strings: this way he can ease gradually into the work. He has a good team around him so it should not be too difficult,” said Colin who was trained well over 5,200 winners during his career.

“It’s been a wonderful 40 years for me,” Colin continued.

“There have been great rewards in Racing and I think if your hobby is your work, your life goes terribly quickly and pleasantly. That’s what it has been for me.”

Hayes’ record is simply staggering.
He has won 38 Trainers Premierships (40 by the end of this season but currently 26 in Adelaide 12 in Melbourne). Stable runners have won something like 5,250 races and in 1985 he set a Commonwealth record 285 winners for a single season.

In 1965, Colin Hayes established ‘Lindsay Park Stud’ at Anguston, (sic) S.A. against advice from ‘knockers’ and since then has bred over 7,200 winners of $37-million prizemoney.

His contribution to Racing is without parallel.

Although quietly-spoken, when Hayes makes his presence felt it is usually with tonnes of style.

When he posted winner No. 5,000, it was with the mare Concordance in the N E Mannion Cup (Gr 2) (2400m) at Rosehill with none other than leading British jockey Pat Eddery in the saddle.

Then, this Autumn – when the opposition was thinking ‘retirement’ might mean a lessening of the trainer’s determination, Colin and stable jockey Michael Clarke combined to win four races at Flemington with Northstar Command, Draw Card, Better Loosen Up and Zabeel; the latter in the Group One Australian Guineas (1600m)

On the same day, Hayes trained two winners at Victoria Parl in South Australia.

Continuing his stunning record of multi-State victories, Colin Hayes, on March 17, yet again trained six winners, this time at three venues – Moonee Valley (Zabeel), Canterbury (Deira) and Morphettville (Bank Burst, St. Clemens, Stavordale and Manphil).

Some retirement!

By the way, Colin Hayes all-time best effort, back in January, 1982 was to win 10 races on the one afternoon!

“I can’t complain,” said Colin with a wry smile.

In ‘retirement’ Colin will run the stud at Lindsay Park, while David concentrates on the stable operations.

Colin will breed the winners – David will train them.

Until now, Colin has been handling both jobs, not without person health costs, but he will be able to cut his workload and enjoy the magnificent surroundings of a little piece of heaven-on-earth he has moulded out of the hills in the nation’s most famous winegrowing region.

Slowing down for Colin will not be easy but he realises, with heart bypass surgery behind him, that he must start to take things a little easier in the future.

“I think David is ready to take over the stables and I will get a tremendous amount of fun out of seeing him do well,” Colin said.

“And, if he needs me, I’m there.”

With a host of ‘big race’ winnes (sic) to his credit, Colin readily admits the form of Almaarad in the Spring of 1989 brought special joy.

“Winning the Cox Plate was a magic moment for me,” he says modestly.

“You know, I haven’t any regrets in the business at all really.”

Emotions ran high during the Cox Plate trophy presentations. Hayes was close to tears as he stood in the winner’s circle.

Almaarad was not the easiest horse to train, always being suseptible (sic) to breaking down. Colin kept the giant chestnut in cotton wool and his patience was rewarded with a first prize payout of $1.1-million following the Plate.

“I was just so excited at having won the race,” Colin recalled on the eve of his retirement.

“I did not know what to say. I could not explain how emotional and happy I felt afte (sic) the win. The horse had broken down in Sydney at Easter and his win in the Cox Plate gave me my greatest emotional thrill in Racing. In (sic) never thought I would get that way.”

Almaarad retired to stud the winner of 12 races with three seconds and two thirds for $2,051,713 from 24 starts.

“I’ve trained a lot of champions,” Colin acknowledged, “I think that going out on a high note is very important; Almaarad certainly provided me with a high note.”

Although the imported Almaarad certainly has a prominent place in the Hayes memory bank, the ‘stand-out’ galloper Colin has prepared is still the ill-fated Dulcify.

“Dulcify was probably the best,” Colin said thoughtfully.

“He gave me my happiest moment with his electrifying finish and certainly my saddest moment when he was short-priced favourite in Hyperno’s Melbourne Cup and was killed in the race.”

In a touch of irony, it was Hyperno which cased the injury which ultimately robbed us of Dulcify.

Nearing the 1000m, Hyperno was angling for a run. The horse clipped the heels of Dulcify and the Cup favourite sustained shocking tendon injuries and irreparable damage to his pelvis when he reacted to pain from the cut tendon.

Vets could do nothing to save the horse and Hayes asked that he be humanely destroyed in order to put an end to his suffering.

Hayes, a caring man, had tears in his eyes following Dulcify’s death.

A bay gelding bred in New Zealand in 1975, by Don Dick, Dulcify was by Decies (b h 1967, Pardao – Reciprocate by Valerullah) out of Sweet Candy (Todman – Risque, by Wilkes (Fr).

He cost Colin Hayes only $3,250 as a yearling and Colin’s wife, Betty, retained a share in the horse for racing purposes.

With the Racing public cynical as it is to the habit of people prematurely dubbing good winners ‘champions’, it was not until Dulcify took out the W.S. Cox Plate at his 19th start that the horse was accepted for what he actually was – a true champion.

After not racing at two years, Dulcify won six of his 14 starts at three (his first win at odds of 300-1) including the Victoria Derby (at only his sixth race start).

Later that season he won the Australian Cup (defeating another champion in Manikato and starting at odds of 80-1) and the Rosehill Guineas-AJC Derby double.

Dulcify’s AJC Derby win will also be remembered for the controversy of the protest lodged by jockey Brent Thomson after Double Century was first past-the-post.

At four years, Dulcify won four races and when he was put down, boasted the record of 21 starts for 10 wins, three seconds, two thirds and $568,775 prizemoney which was quite a parcel of money over a decade ago.

Dulcify won five races worth more than $100,000 – unheard of in those days. Today two of those races are valued at over the $1-million mark (AJC Derby and Cox Plate); two at over $1/2-million (Victoria Derby and Australian Cup); while the fifth is now worth $400,000 (Rosehill Guineas).

“Dulcify was a very short-priced favourite for the Melbourne Cup and did look a certainty.” Colin reflected. “In fact, Brent Thomson said but for the injury he would have won by a record margin.”

There have been other disappointments, of course, there are always highs-and-lows in racing, but Dulcify remains the most unhappy memory for Colin Hayes.

“The highs have far outweighed the lows, though. It’s a game of hopes and dreams and often the expectations are better than the end result,” again Colin is laughing softly.

The controversy of that famous AJC Derby protest with Dulcify came to mind again for Colin Hayes this Autumn in Melbourne when two lucrative protests went the way of his stable in the VATC St. George Stakes and MVRC Alister Clarke Stakes.

Few racegoers gave King’s High’s protest in the St George Stakes against the ever popular Vo Rogue any chance but jockey Clarke was adamant. As he unsaddled, he turned to Hayes and said: “I should have won.”

The Stewards agreed with Clarke though racegoers were hostile in their reaction to the verdict.

Then after a ‘jostling’ finish to the rich Alister Clark Stakes, an objection by runner-up Stylish Century against the Hayes-trained Zabeel was dismissed – and again the crowd was annoyed.

Controversy of this kind is not something Colin Hayes seeks. In Racing, however, in cannot be avoided. Over the years, it might be remembered, Colin Hayes has lost his fair share of protests and has always accepted the outcome in a fair-minded manner.

Another milestone came for Colin Hayes this Autumn at Caulfield when he won the only Victorian Group One race to have eluded him – the VATC Oakleigh Plate.

 This year he took out the race with the in-foal Scarlet Bisque, ridden by Gary Clarke, who defeated a gallant Show County.

Scarlet Bisque, by Biscay, is in-foal to Alzao (USA), as is another Hayes ‘ flyer’ , million dollar racemare Special.

In 1970, Colin Hayes was the first of the name trainers to move from a metropolitan track to a special countrybase.  His lead is now followed by the likes of Bruce McLachlan in Brisbane, Brian Mayfield-Smith in Sydney and Lee Freedman in Melbourne.

Colin reasoned that horses, by nature, are gregarious animals and are used to running in groups.

They are not meant to live in ‘ gaol’ , in stables, and Hayes feels he has been able to achieve far more by keeping his horse as close to nature as possible.

His record is testimony to his professionalism and the sound basis of his ideals.

Naturally, if the idea proves to be so successful, rival trainers are foolish not to follow the lead.

“I suppose the best form of flattery is imitation,” proffers Colin.

After purchasing ‘Lindsay Park’ in 1965, Colin and his partners, including former top international jockey Ron Hutchinson, spent five years readying the property for the horse invasion.

Ron Hutchinson, retired and now living in Melbourne, is still on the board of ‘ Lindsay Park’ and is the Australian manager of the John Kluge ‘ Morven Stud’  racing empire.

From a full-house at his Semaphore stables, Colin moved into ‘Lindsay Park’ with only 16 gallopers.  He lost most of his stable because owners simply did not share his faith in the future.  However, while Hayes lost owner support, he lost none of his ability.

The first full year of operation at ‘Lindsay Park’, we were the leading stable in Adelaide, and we’ve been the leading stable ever since,” says Colin, well satisfied to have proven his critics wrong.

It seemed a natural progression to move from being strictly a trainer, to developing ‘Lindsay Park’ into a breeding, spelling and racing stable.

“That’s the ultimate,” Colin suggests. “To breed and train your own winners.”

“You see them grow and you are responsible for making them into winners.  I am a pedigree fanatic and to me breeding, rearing and training a horse to win a Derby is a huge thrill.”

His ultimate dream was fulfilled, of course, with the homebred Victoria Derby winner, Unaware.

Bred at ‘Lindsay Park’ in 1973, not all that long after the property had opened its front gates. Unaware is by Without Fear (Fr) out of the Chatsworth (GB) mare Clipjoint.

From 29 starts, Unaware scored nine wins, six seconds and three thirds for $192,950 prizemoney.

Unaware’s sire Without Fear is another Colin Hayes success.  The winner of two races at two years – at 5f and 8f in France, without Fear was retired to stud in 1972. His first crop resulted in a world-record 30 individual two-year-old winners of 49 races!

Lindsay Park has been home to an outstanding array of stallions including Red Rumour (USA), Godswlk (sic) (USA), Ruantallan (GB) and Alzao (USA).

Colin Hayes is rightly proud of the record of Lindsay Park as a winner-producing property.

“We’ve produced a lot of good horses and the progeny of our stallions still have a lot of influence. Without Fear mares are doing extremely well and Arch Sculptor has also been a very good sire for us,” he suggests.

‘Lindsay Park’ has had its share of ill-fortune of late with the demise of both Godswalk and Arch Sculptor.

Still, the recent acquisition of Rory’s Jester has, in part, compensated for these losses.

The nation’s leading sire of two-year-old winners this season, Rory’s Jester will remain at the ‘Manado Stud’ in the NSW Hunter Valley.

Hayes recently purchased both the stud, and its stallion.

“New South Wales breeders have supported Rory’s Jester in previous years andhave indicated a willingness to continue to do so,” explains Colin.

“Having bought the property and being delighted with the manager there – John Vincent, it is logical to leave Rory’s Jester in familiar surroundings.”

Given the success Colin Hayes has undoubtedly enjoyed during his 40-odd years in charge of his own destiy (sic), he is quick to point out he has been supported by a host of self-motivated people such as Harry Line and his stable jockeys.

“I think the best jockey is the cheapest investment in Racing,” Colin says, simply.

“Michael Clarke has developed into the best jockey. They can say what they like. If you work out his winners-to-rides, Michael is most effective. And he is an intensely loyal and true person.

“He is incorruptable.”

“Michael has all the features I like in a jockey. He is a very sensible person who leads a very proper life and I think he is destined to stay at the top of his profession for many years,” added Colin in tribute to Clarke who has been stable jockey since Brent Thomson left for England about five years ago.

Michael Clarke provided Colin Hayes with his second Melbourne Cup when he got At Talaq (USA) home in the 1986 running of the event.

The win by At Talaq, a son of Roberto and now a resident stallion at ‘Lindsay Park’, resulted in Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rasheed Al Maktoum, of Dubai, being the first of his countrymen to win our major staying event.

At Talaq was a real League of Nations effort. Bred in America, purchased as a yearling by an Arab, given to an Englishman to train, and then landed his biggest prize in the hands of an Australian!

Colin Hayes first met the Sheikh over a cup of tea during a meeting at Royal Ascot.

At Talaq, Arabic for ‘bullet’, had plenty of form to suggest he was a touch above the ordinary. He had, at one stage or another of his English racing career, defeated all three placegetters in the 1984 Derby!

Although At Talaq failed in The Derby, he won one race at two and at three was successful in the Grand Prix de Paris in France over 2400m.

The first race At Talaq won in Australia was the Group One L K S Mackinnon Stakes (2400m) three days before his Cup triumph.

Later, he went within a short half-head of beating Bonecrusher when second in the VRC Australian Cup of 1987.

Six years before At Talaq’s Cup, Colin Hayes won the race for Pools magnate Robert Sangster with Beldale Ball (USA) the first US-bred galloper to take out the event.

Sangster had spent something in the order of $8-million to establish the ‘Swettenham Stud’ syndicate as the leading thoroughbred operation in Australasia.

Less than a month before he won the Cup with Beldale Ball, Robert Sangster was in Paris to see his colours carried to success by Detroit in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Sangster is a good judge of horseflesh and a great judge of horsemen. He selected Colin Hayes to prepare his Australian horses.

The 1980 Cup was a painful memory in one way for Colin Hayes. His elder brother, Arthur, had died of a heart attack earlier in the year.

Colin said at the time: “It is ironic that this great race should have brought me such sadness as well as joy. Arthur was with me when we lost Dulcify. He was so confident that Dulcify would win, he left a sick bed in Adelaide to be with us at Flemington.”

As Colin stood alongside Sangster and was showered in Cup glory, he was, himself, recovering from a double heart by-pass operation!

At the time he won his first Melbourne Cup, Hayes was 56 and his previous stable representatives in the big race had resulted in third in 1957 (Pandie Sun), second in 1968 (Fileur) and third in 1970 (Clear Prince).

He was due for a change of luck and it came his way with Beldale Ball.  That same day Hayes won two other races at Flemington while in Adelaide his stable won three races.

Not bad for a lad who started his working life as a clerk with the SA Electricity Trust.

Colin Hayes found bookwork boring and took to riding as an amateur to fill in his spare time. That led to him taking out an owner-trainer’s licence when he purchased a jumper named Surefoot for nine pounds ($18) to get started.

Hayes won over 2500 pounds with Surefoot and, encouraged by big brother Arthur, he resigned from the electricity Trust and went full time as a public trainer

That’s how it all started.

Now, Colin is ready to hand over to his deputy, son David.

“I think he (David) is a tremendously talented man.” Colin said.

When asked by a television interviewer if he could break the records set by his father, David replied quietly: “Yes”.

That shook Colin a bit. His ears pricked as the interviewer asked why David was so confident of his success.

“I’ve had a better teacher than he did,” was David’s laconic reply.

Colin nominates the introduction of the TAB as the most significant happening in Racing during his lifetime.

“I think the TAB has revolutionised Australian Racing. We’ve showed the rest of the world how it should be done,” he says.

“They are on the threshold of bringing in fixed odds betting and that will make a tremendous difference again to the TAB.

“We all love the bookies but we have a ‘monster’ in the TAB which is providing better amenities for the racegoer, better prizemoney for the owners and trainers, and revenue for the governments.

“The TAB provides benefits for the entire economy.”

From Surefoot at Strathalbyn to At Talaq in the Cup, and Dulcify and Almaarad in the Cox Plate, Colin Hayes has been Racing’s innovator for the duration of his career as a trainer.

Now, that career is drawing to a close. The book is not yet finished. Just this chapter.

Thankfully, Colin will not be lost to Australian Racing, or breeding.  He’ll still be there on the occasional race day and his presence will be noted at Yearling Sales for years to come.

In the meanwhile, it would not be out of place to wish Colin Hayes a long and happy retirement at his beloved ‘Lindsay Park’.

After all, the man has earned the right to life’s quieter times.

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