David Hayes is eyeing off a second Melbourne Cup
Trainer David Hayes already has a Melbourne Cup trophy courtesy of 1994 winner Jeune but admits victory this time around would be something special.
Almoonqith represents the stable which is now a family partnership of Hayes, his son Ben and nephew Tom Dabernig.
“Part of the reason I started the partnership a couple of years ago was because the stable was on the rise and I wanted Tom to be part of it,” Hayes said.
“This year Ben joined and I thought he might as well come along for the ride and he’s doing a great job in Adelaide.
“I enjoy winning more now with my nephew and my son than I did on my own and I think winning the Cup would genuinely be one of my biggest thrills.
“But until you do it, how do you know, but I reckon it would be pretty bloody good.”
Hayes says having Ben spend 12 months with John Gosden at Newmarket in the UK has brought something new to the preparation of Almoonqith.
After running in the Bart Cummings at Flemington on October 2, the team decided to train the import on an English program.
Hayes says Almoonqith does more steady work than fast gallops and the horse is thriving.
“Ben spent a year with John Gosden and came back with a few of his ideas after watching Golden Horn and those types of horses which we’ve been incorporating with this horse,” Hayes said.
“I would never train my sprinters this way but I did it with Criterion last year and it worked brilliantly and the moment we started training this horse the English way, it’s really started to work.”
Hayes sees barrier 19 on Tuesday as a positive after Almoonqith failed to get clear galloping room in last year’s Cup when 18th behind Prince Of Penzance .
He was an eye-catching fourth in the Caulfield Cup from an inside draw at his latest start.
