‘When you teach your son, you also teach your son’s son.’

The wisdom of that old Jewish saying isn’t lost on David Hayes and the man responsible for the fastest horse on the planet sits outside the Sha Tin weighing room with pride in his eyes as FWD Champions day approaches.

Now 62 and well into his second spell as a Hong Kong handler, Hayes still leans hard on the guidance of his legendary training father Colin, who emphasised three key points while tutoring his young successor at his Lindsay Park base in the Barossa Valley during the 1980s.

‘Treat them all as individuals, be sensitive to their mood changes and let them develop at their own pace.’

That equine mantra has guided Ka Ying Rising’s handler through a Hall of Fame career including a century of G1 victories – including a Japan Cup aged just 28 with Better Loosen Up - and the amiable Aussie has applied it equally well to three training sons judged on the progress of FWD Champions Mile hope Mr Brightside.

But it’s hard to speak to Hayes without leading on the horse who has taken the Hong Kong sprint division by storm with eleven consecutive wins – three at G1 level – and two sensational track record breaking performances under Zac Purton that have resonated worldwide.

“A lot of very expensive, high-profile horses have run 1200m on a consistent fast track here over the last thirty years, so those times are very relevant,” says Hayes.

“When conditions are right Ka Ying Rising will always give the clock a shake but, looking back, the first time he made me say ‘wow’ was on his fifth start when he carried 135lb as a three-year-old from the outside barrier in Class 3 and beat good horses in style,” he says.

“He’s gone from strength to strength since and what he has that others don’t is this incredibly high cruising speed and an ability to lengthen and lower to put the race away with a massive stride as others come under pressure.”

Hayes wasn’t among those who crowned his new star as the world’s best before he had even contested a G1 contest but he’s happy to accept that “they were good judges” and feels his stable star is even beginning to warrant comparison with one of the all-time greats.

“One my favourite horses I competed against in Australia was Black Caviar and she had that same dominant style,” he adds.

“Yes, she was undefeated whereas Ka Ying Rising has been beaten by an inch twice, but his record at this stage of his career is comparable and now he’s got to do it for another two years and win on the international stage like she did.”

“In human terms he’s a bit like Usain Bolt or Roger Federer in that he knows how good he is and that helps him make very difficult things look easy.

“He had to work for his HKIR win in December – when he missed the start and got taken on wide with no cover – but he’s had better wins before and since and his training and attitude suggest he’s ready to show the world another special performance.”

History on the hoof

Ben Hayes and his younger twin brothers Will and JD grew up in in Hong Kong during their dad’s first spell at Sha Tin between 1996 and 2005 and Sunday will the first time they have saddled a runner on the same card as their famous father.

“It’s magical for all of us to be in the mix on Champions Day and the sense of family and history is enormous,” adds David.

“The boys were six and ten when my dad passed away and they remember him more as a Grandpa rather than a trainer. I’ll never forget dad’s excitement when I won big races - he was even prouder than I was. There’s nothing like watching your kids shine and if Brightside happened to win I really think it would be the happiest moment in all my time here.”

“I couldn’t get back to Australia during Covid – and they had to start from scratch after a couple of big setbacks - but I love the way they’ve built up their own clientele using dad’s facilities at Lindsay Park and they’re really doing their grandfather proud.”

“They’re all very different but they’re all good horsemen and they work well as a team. JD likes the buying and selling of horses, William loves the actual riding and handling elements, and Ben’s probably a combination of both and enjoys the placing and training aspects.

“They do disagree on certain things but they don’t call me very often – it must be a big issue if they do – and if needed then I have to play a bit of Judge Judy!”

Rising from the ashes

Two other female judges will be playing key roles in this week’s Hayes reunion, namely David’s wife Prue and their daughter Sophie.

“Prue still helps run the Australian business, while Sophie is her eyes and ears on the ground, and this is the first time the whole family have been in Hong Kong together for twenty-five years,” adds Hayes senior.

“Mr Brightside has been a special horse for the boys for a few years now and his consistency and endurance at the highest level are world class.

“I can tell from looking at him that he’s handled the trip to Hong Kong well. He’d give my fella a good race over 1400m, I reckon, but I do think Ka Ying would spank his arse!”

Duty calls as Hayes prepares to saddle his final runners on a sunny Sunday and he leaves with a smile and a reflection on how things could have gone the other way during a lean spell four years ago when a host of horses left his barn.

“Early retirement did cross my mind, but we knuckled down and hung in there,” he adds. “Bit by bit we got back up to 48 horses, then they started running consistently well again, and to have a world champion at the top makes it very easy to go to work in the mornings.”

That world champ will be Rising to the challenge of completing a flawless eight-race season on Sunday, while Mr Brightside is primed and ready for what could be the duel of the day with homegrown hero Voyage Bubble.

And in an apartment near Sha Tin’s winning post this weekend, a reunited racing family will recall a few old memories while aiming to make new ones. Circumstance has left the high achieving Hayes clan sharing moonlight from afar of late. They could be sharing limelight in perfect harmony if all goes well at Sha Tin on Sunday.