In the five years Ben Hayes has been a licensed trainer he is about to embark on his third training partnership.
Joining his father, Hall Of Fame trainer David Hayes and cousin Tom Dabernig at the start of the 2016 season, Hayes has been training with only his cousin in the past 12 months.
That changes again on Monday when Hayes is joined by his younger brother JD.
The Dabernig and Hayes training partnership came to end after Saturday’s Flemington meeting with Lindsay Park scratching their two runners at Bendigo on Sunday while the brothers start afresh at Wangaratta on Monday with five runners.
“It’s such a good opportunity,” Hayes said.
“How many people get given some of the best training facilities in Australia.
“My father believes in JD and I and we’re both passionate and want to succeed.
“I’ve been a trainer for five years and I think it will be like when dad left our partnership, I’m hoping it will be the same and not much will change.
“There are little things we will tinker with, but we have a process that works and the horses have been performing at a high level.”
Like a lot of family members, Ben and JD have their disagreements, but Hayes said he and his brother had two great teachers and overall get on very well.
“We do have arguments, but it’s because we are passionate,” he said.
“We’re not angry at each other and we’re lucky that we have a good adjudicator in David Hayes to help make a final decision.
“Relationship wise we are great and work wise if we have a problem, or we’re not sure, there’s always good people around to ask.”
Hayes said those outside Lindsay Park will not notice a lot of change.
Workwise Hayes said he would spend the majority of his time at the country property at Euroa with JD at the Flemington base, although he said “we’ll probably split it a bit more”.
