David Hayes has high hopes for Nicconi at Royal Ascot is well schooled in the ways of British racing. At the time he may not have realised, but his father, the late Colin Hayes, had instilled in his son from an early age a deep respect for the patient training methods of Vincent O’Brien, Noel Murless and Dick Hern.
To Europe David Hayes senior was a frequent visitor in the 1960s. Each year, when returning home to South Australia, he would try to introduce ideas he had picked up on his travels. One huge influence had been the variety of gallops he had seen at Newmarket, in particular Warren Hill.
So, when it came time for Colin Hayes to build and develop Lindsay Park, his own private training centre and stud farm at Angaston, 72 miles out of Adelaide, the British experience was put into practice. Forty years ago, Hayes was seen as a revolutionary in setting up away from the mainstream metropolitan tracks. He proved to be years ahead of his time.
David Hayes, 47, has built on those foundations, establishing himself in his own right internationally, having sent out the winners of the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup (twice), Cox Plate (three), Golden Slipper, Japan Cup, Hong Kong Derby, and having twice been champion trainer in Hong Kong during a 10-year stint in the former British colony.
He brings to the first day of Royal Ascot a well-credentialled sprinter, Nicconi, who attempts to follow great Australian sprinters Choisir, Takeover Target, Miss Andretti and Scenic Blast by winning the five-furlong King’s Stand Stakes, almost four and a half months after tasting victory in the Lightning Stakes at Flemington.
Just why the Lightning, which is another "straight five", should have had such a bearing on what has taken place at the Royal Meeting on the other side of the world, actually defies logic. Arguably, there are other races just as noteworthy Down Under, but it has definitely been the most accurate pointer to Ascot triumph.
“I think it is the timing of the racing, and where it fits into the racing calendar,” Hayes explains. “It comes at the end of January, just when some of the classy [middle-distance] types are coming back to campaign – you can have Derby winners resuming after a spell – and even a top sprinter has to have a certain amount of class to win it.”
Hayes reckons Nicconi is every bit as good as the aforementioned sprinters, but qualifies that statement by adding “on his day.” The five-year-old has a tendency to throw in the occasional “shocker”, hence the move to fit a visor for the first time in Tuesday’s race.
“I think it will make a difference. It should make him just that bit sharper on the big day. We tried him in the visor in an exhibition gallop [an unnofficial trial between races] at Caulfield [Melbourne] before he left to come over, and his sectional times were exceptional. If he can produce that again, he’ll just about win it. We’re quietly confident,” he adds.
The booking of Frankie Dettori is in keeping with Hayes’s policy of looking for a local when travelling horses abroad. His thinking is that once the jockey in question has become accustomed to his mount – during morning exercise – the rest will come easy. He recognises that no favours are given visiting jockeys, yet a certain respect prevails when riders are competing against each other on a daily basis.
“Also, I’m a big Frankie fan. I’ve known him a long time and he’s a good friend. And, nobody knows Ascot better than Dettori,” he adds.
Kingsgate Native, recent winner of the Temple Stakes at Haydock Park, and winner of the Golden Jubilee Stakes at the Royal meeting two years ago, looks the big danger to the Australian challenge, which is strengthened by the addition of speedster Gold Trail. For David Hayes, it is another chance to bask in the international spotlight.
To Europe David Hayes senior was a frequent visitor in the 1960s. Each year, when returning home to South Australia, he would try to introduce ideas he had picked up on his travels. One huge influence had been the variety of gallops he had seen at Newmarket, in particular Warren Hill.
So, when it came time for Colin Hayes to build and develop Lindsay Park, his own private training centre and stud farm at Angaston, 72 miles out of Adelaide, the British experience was put into practice. Forty years ago, Hayes was seen as a revolutionary in setting up away from the mainstream metropolitan tracks. He proved to be years ahead of his time.
David Hayes, 47, has built on those foundations, establishing himself in his own right internationally, having sent out the winners of the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup (twice), Cox Plate (three), Golden Slipper, Japan Cup, Hong Kong Derby, and having twice been champion trainer in Hong Kong during a 10-year stint in the former British colony.
He brings to the first day of Royal Ascot a well-credentialled sprinter, Nicconi, who attempts to follow great Australian sprinters Choisir, Takeover Target, Miss Andretti and Scenic Blast by winning the five-furlong King’s Stand Stakes, almost four and a half months after tasting victory in the Lightning Stakes at Flemington.
Just why the Lightning, which is another "straight five", should have had such a bearing on what has taken place at the Royal Meeting on the other side of the world, actually defies logic. Arguably, there are other races just as noteworthy Down Under, but it has definitely been the most accurate pointer to Ascot triumph.
“I think it is the timing of the racing, and where it fits into the racing calendar,” Hayes explains. “It comes at the end of January, just when some of the classy [middle-distance] types are coming back to campaign – you can have Derby winners resuming after a spell – and even a top sprinter has to have a certain amount of class to win it.”
Hayes reckons Nicconi is every bit as good as the aforementioned sprinters, but qualifies that statement by adding “on his day.” The five-year-old has a tendency to throw in the occasional “shocker”, hence the move to fit a visor for the first time in Tuesday’s race.
“I think it will make a difference. It should make him just that bit sharper on the big day. We tried him in the visor in an exhibition gallop [an unnofficial trial between races] at Caulfield [Melbourne] before he left to come over, and his sectional times were exceptional. If he can produce that again, he’ll just about win it. We’re quietly confident,” he adds.
The booking of Frankie Dettori is in keeping with Hayes’s policy of looking for a local when travelling horses abroad. His thinking is that once the jockey in question has become accustomed to his mount – during morning exercise – the rest will come easy. He recognises that no favours are given visiting jockeys, yet a certain respect prevails when riders are competing against each other on a daily basis.
“Also, I’m a big Frankie fan. I’ve known him a long time and he’s a good friend. And, nobody knows Ascot better than Dettori,” he adds.
Kingsgate Native, recent winner of the Temple Stakes at Haydock Park, and winner of the Golden Jubilee Stakes at the Royal meeting two years ago, looks the big danger to the Australian challenge, which is strengthened by the addition of speedster Gold Trail. For David Hayes, it is another chance to bask in the international spotlight.
