HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID HAYES - AND THANK YOU!

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, October 22, 2025

HRO would like to wish David Hayes a very happy birthday for today (Tuesday, October 22) … and those wishes come with a huge thank you for the present he gave to Australian and World Racing when he travelled the world’s current highest rated horse Ka Yong Rising from Hong Kong to Sydney to contest, and win, the $20 million The Everest last Saturday at Randwick.

With good reason, the horse was the major headline … to the degree that Hayes’ own contribution, arguably, did not receive the plaudits it deserved.

Maybe they were implied and just got lost in the tidal wave of praise that swept the euphoria of an historic Everest victory into the record books, but Hayes’ effort and expertise on several fronts deserve to be acknowledged individually.

It might sound simple when set it out in a step-by-step approach, but, obviously, it was anything but that.

Bring Ka Ying Rising from Hong Kong. Monitor him in quarantine. Start getting some work into the horse. Do a familiarisation trial run at Randwick before-hand. Refine the work schedule … and anything else that needs tweaking … as required. Keep Ka Ying Rising happy through to race-day … and on race-day itself from arrival to the pre-race saddling up procedure. Then hand the reins to his trusted lieutenant Zac Purton and, finally, send the champion horse and jockey combination out into battle, with Ka Ying Rising primed enough to get the job done.

You have to be a champion trainer to successfully play a flawless leading role in that race-winning script.

But that wasn’t all that Hayes had to deal with.

Given the status of the horse in his care and its dominance in the betting market, Hayes had to deal with the media on a unprecedented basis … and it was not only his ready availability that was impressive, but it was the manner in which he dealt with a range of questions, from fact to fantasy, with a gentleman’s politeness and a smile that made racing stand tall.

Hayes’ ever-positive promotion of racing, both in terms of what he produced on and off the track, was quite simply outstanding.

Ka Ying Rising helped deliver an early birthday present to Hayes on Saturday … and there would have been plenty of people … then and now … raising a glass to his success.

But right now, birthday or not, as always in racing, it is straight back to business for the Hayes camp who will saddle runners at Happy Valley tonight.

David Hayes