Colin Hayes
Encyclopedia
Colin Sidney Hayes (AM)
(OBE)
(1924 – 21 May 1999) was a champion trainer of thoroughbred
racehorses based in Adelaide
, Australia
.
During his career he trained 5,333 winners including 524 individual Group
or Listed
winners. He won 28 Adelaide and 13 Melbourne
Trainers' Premierships.
in 1924. His father died when he was 10 years old. On leaving school he gained employment with the South Australian Electricity Trust as a boilermaker
, but his love of horses soon led him to purchase a steeplechaser named Surefoot for £9. As an amateur rider, Colin rode Surefoot himself with his best result being a third in the 1948 Great Eastern Steeplechase run at Oakbank.
Popular legend has it that Colin bet his honeymoon money on Surefoot, which ran third at odds of 60/1, enabling Colin to recoup the money and a little profit. His wife Betty was apparently very angry about the incident at the time.
His son David followed in his footsteps and is a horse trainer. His other son was also a trainer, but Peter Hayes, who at the time was training Fields Of Omagh
, died in an airplane crash
in 2001.
Colin chose a place in the Barossa Valley
approximately 80 kilometres north-east of Adelaide, with many people saying it was too far out of the metropolitan area to succeed.
A syndicate of people was formed to purchase the property known as Lindsay Park, a 800-hectare property of very rich pasture land and superb paddocks. The centrepiece of the property is a magnificent 38-room mansion built in 1840 by George Fife Angas
from sandstone and marble quarried on the property.
In making the move Colin lost several owners and promising horses, reducing his stable from 40 to 16 horses.
He officially began training there on 1 August 1970 and over the next 29 years created one of the most successful breeding and training establishments in the world.
A sign of his success is the world record 10 individual winners in a day, a feat he achieved on 23 January 1982.
VRC
Melbourne Cup
VATC Caulfield Cup
MVRC W.S.Cox Plate
STC
Golden Slipper Stakes
VRC
Newmarket Handicap
VRC Australian Cup
VRC Derby
AJC
Derby
SAJC Adelaide Cup
and Godswalk.
Some of the horses he trained also went on to highly successful stud careers including Rory's Jester
, At Talaq and Zabeel
.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(OBE)
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(1924 – 21 May 1999) was a champion trainer of thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorses based in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
During his career he trained 5,333 winners including 524 individual Group
Group races
Group races are the highest standard of Thoroughbred horseraces in Australia. The Australian Pattern Committee recommends to the Australian Racing Board which races shall be designated as Group races...
or Listed
Group races
Group races are the highest standard of Thoroughbred horseraces in Australia. The Australian Pattern Committee recommends to the Australian Racing Board which races shall be designated as Group races...
winners. He won 28 Adelaide and 13 Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
Trainers' Premierships.
Early days
Colin was born in Semaphore, South AustraliaSouth Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
in 1924. His father died when he was 10 years old. On leaving school he gained employment with the South Australian Electricity Trust as a boilermaker
Boilermaker
A boilermaker is a trained craftsman who produces steel fabrications from plates and sections. The name originated from craftsmen who would fabricate boilers, but they may work on projects as diverse as bridges to blast furnaces to the construction of mining equipment.-Boilermaking:Many...
, but his love of horses soon led him to purchase a steeplechaser named Surefoot for £9. As an amateur rider, Colin rode Surefoot himself with his best result being a third in the 1948 Great Eastern Steeplechase run at Oakbank.
Popular legend has it that Colin bet his honeymoon money on Surefoot, which ran third at odds of 60/1, enabling Colin to recoup the money and a little profit. His wife Betty was apparently very angry about the incident at the time.
His son David followed in his footsteps and is a horse trainer. His other son was also a trainer, but Peter Hayes, who at the time was training Fields Of Omagh
Fields Of Omagh
Fields Of Omagh was a champion middle distance Australian Thoroughbred racehorse of the early-mid 2000s. He was a half-brother to the stakeswinners, King Brian , Malcolm and Timeless Grace .Fields Of Omagh was trained at Lindsay Park, South Australia by Peter...
, died in an airplane crash
Aviation accidents and incidents
An aviation accident is defined in the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft which takes place between the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight and all such persons have disembarked, in which a...
in 2001.
Initial success
His initial moderate success with Surefoot drove Colin to expand his operations and he set up stables called 'Surefoot Lodge' at Semaphore. He won his first Adelaide trainers' premiership in 1956 but decided he wanted to expand his operations into breeding winners as well.Colin chose a place in the Barossa Valley
Barossa Valley
The Barossa Valley is a major wine-producing region and tourist destination of South Australia, located 60 km northeast of Adelaide. It is the valley formed by the North Para River, and the Barossa Valley Way is the main road through the valley, connecting the main towns on the valley floor of...
approximately 80 kilometres north-east of Adelaide, with many people saying it was too far out of the metropolitan area to succeed.
A syndicate of people was formed to purchase the property known as Lindsay Park, a 800-hectare property of very rich pasture land and superb paddocks. The centrepiece of the property is a magnificent 38-room mansion built in 1840 by George Fife Angas
George Fife Angas
George Fife Angas was an English businessman and banker who, from England, played a significant part in the formation and establishment of the Colony of South Australia. He established the South Australian Company and was its founding chairman of the board of directors...
from sandstone and marble quarried on the property.
In making the move Colin lost several owners and promising horses, reducing his stable from 40 to 16 horses.
He officially began training there on 1 August 1970 and over the next 29 years created one of the most successful breeding and training establishments in the world.
A sign of his success is the world record 10 individual winners in a day, a feat he achieved on 23 January 1982.
Major wins
Amongst the many thousands of races won by Colin and his horses were the following major race wins:VRC
VRC
VRC is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below:*Vaccine Research Center*Vancouver Rowing Club, formed in 1886*Vertical redundancy check*Veteran Reserve Corps*Victoria Racing Club...
Melbourne Cup
Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races...
- 1980 Beldale BallBeldale BallBeldale Ball was a brown Thoroughbred racehorse stallion by Nashua out of the mare San Cat .Trained by Colin Hayes and owned by the Swettenham Stud Syndicate his best win came in the 1980 VRC Melbourne Cup....
- 1986 At TalaqAt TalaqAt Talaq was a bay Thoroughbred racehorse stallion by Roberto out of the mare My Nord .Trained by Colin Hayes and owned by Shadwell Racing his best win came in the 1986 VRC Melbourne Cup....
VATC Caulfield Cup
Caulfield Cup
The Caulfield Cup, one of Australia's richest Thoroughbred horse races and the richest of its type in the world is held annually by the Melbourne Racing Club. The race is a handicap like the Melbourne Cup, which means that horses that compete in the Caulfield Cup are capable of running on the...
- 1976 How Now
MVRC W.S.Cox Plate
Cox Plate
The W.S. Cox Plate is an Australian Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne every October by the Moonee Valley Racing Club to honour W.S. Cox, the club's founder. For three-year-olds and over, the race is considered to be the Weight for Age championship of Australasia...
- 1978 So Called
- 1979 DulcifyDulcifyDulcify was an New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. His British-bred sire was the 1970 Irish 2,000 Guineas winner, Decies, a grandson of Pharis, the very important French sire whom Thoroughbred Heritage says is considered one of the greatest French-bred runners of the century...
- 1989 Almaarad
STC
STC
- Education :* S. Thomas' College, Mt Lavinia, a private school in Sri Lanka* South Texas College* South Thames College* Sha Tin College, Hong Kong* Saint Theresa's College, Philippines- Organizations :* Scarborough Town Centre* Space Transport Corporation...
Golden Slipper Stakes
Golden Slipper
The Golden Slipper Stakes is an Australian Thoroughbred horse race for two year old horses held at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney run over 1,200 metres on turf at set weights. It is the premier two year old race in Australia and is the world's richest race for two-year-old Thoroughbreds....
- 1985 Rory's JesterRory's JesterRory’s Jester was a notable Australian Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. A chestnut son of Crown Jester from Rory’s Rocket by Roan Rocket, he was trained by Colin Hayes....
VRC
VRC
VRC is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below:*Vaccine Research Center*Vancouver Rowing Club, formed in 1886*Vertical redundancy check*Veteran Reserve Corps*Victoria Racing Club...
Newmarket Handicap
Newmarket Handicap
The Newmarket Handicap is a VRC Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia. The event is an open handicap race over 1200 metres...
- 1977 Desirable
- 1985 Red Tempo
- 1988 Special
- 1989 Grandiose
VRC Australian Cup
Australian Cup
The Australian Cup is a Group 1 Weight for Age race for Thoroughbred racehorses run over 2000 metres, at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in March...
- 1974 Bush Win
- 1979 DulcifyDulcifyDulcify was an New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. His British-bred sire was the 1970 Irish 2,000 Guineas winner, Decies, a grandson of Pharis, the very important French sire whom Thoroughbred Heritage says is considered one of the greatest French-bred runners of the century...
VRC Derby
Victoria Derby
The Victoria Derby is an Australian Thoroughbred horse race held annually on the first day of Melbourne's annual Spring Racing Carnival, Victorian Derby Day, held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. A Group One race for three-year-old horses, it is raced on a left-handed turf course at a...
- 1974 Haymaker
- 1976 UnawareUnawareUnaware is a science-fiction horror thriller film directed by Sean Bardin and Robert Cooley. It follows a vacationing couple who discover something disturbing on a rural Texas ranch. Like the films Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project , Unaware is an independent feature presented in...
- 1978 DulcifyDulcifyDulcify was an New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. His British-bred sire was the 1970 Irish 2,000 Guineas winner, Decies, a grandson of Pharis, the very important French sire whom Thoroughbred Heritage says is considered one of the greatest French-bred runners of the century...
- 1988 King's High
AJC
Australian Jockey Club
The Australian Jockey Club was founded in January 1842. It morphed from the former Australian Racing Committee set up in May 1840 to set the standards for racing in the colony...
Derby
AJC Derby
The Australian Derby also known as AJC Derby, is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run by the Australian Jockey Club at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia. Open to three year olds, the race is held annually in the latter part of March or early April...
- 1979 DulcifyDulcifyDulcify was an New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. His British-bred sire was the 1970 Irish 2,000 Guineas winner, Decies, a grandson of Pharis, the very important French sire whom Thoroughbred Heritage says is considered one of the greatest French-bred runners of the century...
- 1981 Our Paddy Boy
SAJC Adelaide Cup
Adelaide Cup
The Adelaide Cup is a SAJC Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race held in South Australia. It is handicap race run over 3,200 metres at Morphettville Racecourse in Adelaide Australia. Total prize money for the race is A$400,000....
- 1962 Cheong Sam
- 1972 Wine Taster
- 1980 Yashmak
- 1990 Water Boatman
Breeding
Colin also played a major role in the Australian breeding industry by standing quality stallions such as Romantic, Without FearWithout Fear
"Without Fear" is a six-issue Daredevil story arc written by Ed Brubaker with art by Michael Lark and published by Marvel Comics. The arc appears in Daredevil #100-#105.-Plot summary:...
and Godswalk.
Some of the horses he trained also went on to highly successful stud careers including Rory's Jester
Rory's Jester
Rory’s Jester was a notable Australian Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. A chestnut son of Crown Jester from Rory’s Rocket by Roan Rocket, he was trained by Colin Hayes....
, At Talaq and Zabeel
Zabeel
Zabeel was a New Zealand-bred Australian racehorse who has retired to stud and become a champion sire. He is a bay son of Sir Tristram from the Nureyev mare Lady Giselle...
.