This time next year David Hayes will be back in Hong Kong and a few meetings into a new racing season.
He will be divorced from the training partnership he currently has with his son Ben and nephew Tom Dabernig and sourcing his own stock to race in Hong Kong.
In his previous decade-long stint Hayes had the pick of Lindsay Park horses, but it will be a different scenario this time.
“I was pinching from myself last time,” Hayes said.
“This time I’ll be trying to buy horses and not weaken the stable here.
“The stake money is so good here and Australians like racing for that big money, so why take it away.”
The status quo remains at Lindsay Park for the rest of the season with Hayes being “delisted” at the start of next season with Ben and Dabernig the training partners.
Hayes said his focus remained on Lindsay Park but would switch to Hong Kong in June and July.
“There’s not much I can do at the moment,” he said.
“I’ve still got to get my stables allocated so I’m concentrating fully on Australia at the moment, but I’ll gradually start fading out around June or July.
“From June or July I’ll hopefully have a stable to start moving horses into and I’ll be gradually building up in the off-season.”
Hayes indicated he had already starting fielding inquiries from Hong Kong for racing positions.
He will firstly appoint an assistant trainer, likely to be one of his former riding boys from his previous stint, who will then be entrusted to employ staff.
Hayes also wants a stable at the Conghua training facility in mainland China.
“I’ll hopefully have enough horses to have a stable in China as well which I’m excited about as it gives you another option to freshen a horse,” Hayes said.
“When in Hong Kong you’re usually just stuck there, but to be able to move them around, that excites me.”
Hayes says if he has the right horse he would like to return to Australia for the big carnivals.
“One of my aims is to try and have a top three horse there and hopefully travel for a Cox Plate, a Mackinnon, a Melbourne Cup, a Queen Elizabeth, all those sorts of races,” Hayes said.
“I prefer to come south, rather than go north.
“There’s great money and it’s home.”
