Will Hayes Joins Lindsay Park Training Partnership

Media Release - Monday July 24

Lindsay Park Racing is proud to announce that Will Hayes is joining Ben and JD to complete the Hayes training partnership as of August 1st, 2023.

Will Hayes

Will, who has been working in the background of the business while playing professional AFL football is fulfilling his lifetime ambition to become a trainer.

“To join the partnership with my brothers and become a horse trainer is something I’ve wanted to do since I was a child. I’m very grateful and well aware of how fortunate I am to be joining my family’s well-established business.”

Will, 28, is JD’s twin brother and grew up in Hong Kong before attending high school in Melbourne and completing a Commerce Degree. And like JD, Will is proficient in Chinese after also gaining a diploma in Chinese languages. Progressing from stable hand duties to riding trackwork at a young age, Will became an Assistant Trainer at Lindsay Park Racing’s Flemington stable in 2021. Will dedicated himself – right from the beginning - to either working, riding or heading to trackwork every day to watch, listen and learn.

Advertisement

Will’s football prowess saw him divide his time between the family business and the demands of his football career. He played 110 VFL games, taking out two VFL Premierships for Footscray and was honoured as that club’s Best and Fairest. Selected for the Western Bulldogs in 2018, he played 11 AFL games prior to a brief career with Carlton before hanging up his footy boots in 2022. While playing VFL, he continued working for Lindsay Park Racing and even when at AFL level, Will attended track work every day, managing to divide himself effectively between his two great passions.

Will brings valuable experience as a professional sportsman to the business and his brothers. “My time at the AFL improved my understanding of sports science, especially around athlete load, recovery and management to achieve peak performance. I can see how this is interchangeable between human athletes and thoroughbreds,” he said, adding “I’m incredibly thankful to my family for affording me the opportunity to pursue all my dreams to date, including my long-awaited journey as a professional horse trainer.”

As a family, David, Prue, Ben, JD, Will and Sophie are incredibly proud that Lindsay Park Racing will continue under the three Hayes brothers and will head into the 2023 racing season led by their fresh enthusiasm, as they continue to uphold the 76-year-old Hayes family training tradition.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Sir Stanley Goosman’s Impact on the National Yearling Sale
Karaka 2026 will mark the 100th National Yearling Sale in New Zealand, and a prominent buyer during the history of the Sale was Stanley Goosman (later Sir Stanley).  He was a key player at the Sale during the World War II era, and headed the list of winning owners in New Zealand on 10 occasions.
Promising Winner and a Star on the Rise
One of the bargain priced sires on the Newgate Farm roster, Cosmic Force has never lacked for company covering 100 plus books of mares in each of his five seasons at stud so far totalling nearly 700 mares.
Hello Youmzain Filly Chasing More Stakes Success
Hello Youmzain (Fr) filly Platinum Diamond will put her undefeated Heavy track record on the line when she heads to Wanganui on Saturday to contest the Listed HS Dyke Wanganui Guineas (1200m).
Tara Talks Racing – Stallion Parades, Old Legends and a Weekend Tip
We’re back in podcast land as the spring unfolds with plenty to talk about following our recent run of visits to the stallion parades, so what stallions did we like?
Sires With Winners - Wednesday August 27
Here is the full list of 42 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Spring Trial Watch – Everest Contenders on Show
The Rosehill trials on Thursday morning featured a couple of key Everest contenders with Private Harry winning easily over speedy 3YO North England, while Lady Shenandoah was under a tight grip to finish third in a later heat.
Al Riffa Aiming Towards Melbourne Cup for Australian Bloodstock
The exceptional qualities of Coolmore shuttler Wootton Bassett (GB) are such that he can get fast juveniles and also high class older horses over a distance and we are set to see a taste of it this spring as media reports suggest Australian Bloodstock have purchased his top class 5YO stallion Al Riffa.
Sires With Winners - Thursday August 28
Here is the full list of 33 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Melbourne Cup Dreaming for Kiwi Stayer
Peter and Shaun McKay are dreaming of a Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) tilt with their quality stayer Wolfgang, and he will start his journey towards the iconic feature at Wanganui on Saturday.
Sires With Winners - Tuesday August 26
Here is the full list of 28 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.