A smart win by the New Zealand-bred Oak Hill at Caulfield on Saturday marked a changing of the guard.
Oak Hill was guided through the early stages of his promising career by New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame inductee Mike Moroney, who passed away in February.
Moroney’s partner Karen chose Lindsay Park trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes to take over Ballymore Stables’ Flemington operation. Moroney’s former training partner Glen Thompson is now training in his own right and won last Saturday’s Gr.1 Australasian Oaks (2000m) with Benagil, while racing manager Anthony Feroce has moved across to join the Lindsay Park team.
Oak Hill was the first former Moroney runner to race in Melbourne since the Hayes partnership took over the operation, and he provided a perfect result in Saturday’s A$150,000 Tobin Brothers Celebrating Lives Handicap (1000m).
Ridden by Blake Shinn, Oak Hill settled in a handy position in fifth on the inside. The front-runner Shirshov rolled off the fence coming around the home turn, leaving a gap along the rail. Shinn needed no second invitation and drove Oak Hill through that opening.
Oak Hill changed gears and charged to the front, opening up a winning margin of a length and a half. The four-year-old clocked 58.05 seconds for the 1000m.
From 13 starts, Oak Hill has now recorded six wins and two second placings. He has earned A$389,515 in prize-money.
“We’re just really thankful for the opportunity that we’ve been given,” Ben Hayes said. “It was a great ride by Blake and a perfect result.
“I have to thank Anthony and Glen. They prepared this horse so well. He’s been with us for only a little while, so we can’t take too much credit for it.
“The horse was able to jump well today, settle nicely in a good position, and when the gaps opened, he really hit the line strongly. It’s very exciting. It’s always great to get a win with a new horse in the stable, and winning this race today will really help us going into the spring.
“We’ve had a lot of help from Anthony, who’s here today. This is actually his first day officially working for us, so it’s a good way to start what we hope will be a good, long partnership – especially with Rupert (Legh) and his whole ownership group as well.
“The plan was to try to pick up some rating points today to open up a few more options for this horse in the spring, so it’s always nice when a plan comes off.”
Oak Hill was bred by the Mahoenui Partnership and is by Little Avondale Stud’s Per Incanto out of the High Chaparral mare Isstoora.
That makes Oak Hill a half-brother to Desert Lightning, who has won six races including the Gr.1 TAB Classic (1600m), Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m), Gr.3 Sandown Stakes (1500m) and the $1 million Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic (1600m). Oak Hill was offered in Little Avondale’s Book 1 draft at Karaka 2022, where Paul Moroney Bloodstock and Ballymore Stables bought him for $180,000.
