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  • Arab Proverb Rings True for Hayes Clan

    Tuesday, 20th July 2021

    All families have their differences and alliances. C’est la vie. The current circumstances surrounding the training branch of the famous Hayes family brings to mind the old Arab proverb: “I against my brother. I and my brother against my cousin. I, my brother, and my cousin against the world.” The departure of Tom Dabernig from what was originally the David Hayes, Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig training triumvirate has reportedly surprised David who returned to Hong Kong last season. Dabernig’s move to set up on his own at Warrnambool has seen some patrons move horses (including Fifty Stars to Dabernig) from the new Hayes partnership to other stables. That followed Lindsay Park’s largest patron Shadwell Park withdrawing entirely from the Australian industry after the passing of its principal Sheikh Hamdan. According to racing.com, David Hayes acknowledges he has been shocked and disappointed by the loss of a few of the stable’s leading runners, but remains confident that despite the smaller numbers his sons will bounce back from the challenging circumstances. With a 20 percent winning strike rate from their first 25 runners saddled in partnership, Ben and JD have started strongly. Their father noted, “They’ve got a world-class training facility, a good backbone of owners that are still there and a terrific staff behind them… I’m pretty confident that, over the next two or three seasons, they’ll get back near the top.” Rivalry aside, family is family. Even though, on paper, the two stables are now competitors, when push comes to shove it’s still a case of ‘I, my brother, and my cousin against the world’.