New challenge for David Hayes

Trainer David Hayes has entered a new chapter of his harness racing career after joining forces with leading owner Mick Maxfield at his East Devonport stables.

Hayes took over the Maxfield team about a month ago and has 12 horses in work "at various stages of their preparations".

Two of them, Krafty Boy and Shaun To The Max, will run at Mowbray on Sunday night.

Krafty Boy had his first start for Hayes at the same track last week and the trainer thought he was a little unlucky.

"He was up there early but got shuffled back then didn't really get a run at them," Hayes said.

"But he's drawn bad in a pretty tough race this week."

Two-year-old Shaun To The Max had three unplaced runs for Maxfield's former trainer Paul Ashwood earlier in the year.

"We haven't been able to trial him but he's had those previous starts so we decided to put him in," Hayes said.

"All the horses have been well educated by Paul – I've just had to work out my own way of working them.

"They were kept jogging during the shutdown and they all seem to be ticking along pretty well."

Hayes said he was looking forward to the challenge of training for one of the state's biggest-ever owners.

"It's another chapter for me – I'm working on a beautiful property with great facilities," he said.

"And, Mick is a great supporter of harness racing – he has bought and bred a lot of nice horses."

Greg Mansfield

Reprinted with permission of The Examiner