Ndola bidding to add more riches to strong family name

Image: Ndola (Credit: Racing Photos)

Brothers Ben, JD and Will Hayes will send out a strong three-horse line-up in today’s Aurie’s Star Handicap (Gr 3, 1200m) at Flemington, but one of the trio catches the eye from a pedigree point of view.

Ndola will be bidding to add more black-type success to a rich family history when the Justify (Scat Daddy) gelding aims to land back-to-back stakes wins following success in the Santa Ana Lane Series Sprint Final (Listed, 1200m) first-up last month. He is a $5 chance to do just that today.

What makes Ndola unique compared to his stablemates War Machine (Harry Angel) and Arkansaw Kid (Harry Angel) is that he comes from a family long-associated with the Hayes’ family and owners Peter Devitt and brothers Russell and Craig Gordon.

His dam, Hear The Chant (Nicconi), raced in the owner trio’s famous pink and blue silks to five wins from 19 career starts for the Hayes brothers’ father David, including for a Group 3 victory in the Thoroughbred Club Stakes (1200m).

Devitt and the Gordon brothers have had plenty of success with the Hayes family, courtesy of horses such as dual Group 1-winning sprinter Nicconi (Bianconi) and King’s High (Full On Aces) – winner of the 1988 Victoria Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) and 1989 Australian Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m).

“Nicconi was about midway [through their ownership years],” Ben Hayes told ANZ News. 

“King’s High was one of the first few horses that they bought and he won the Victoria Derby in 1988, so they were hooked!”

Hear The Chant is by Nicconi, and her success on the track has been well and truly replicated in the breeding barn this year.

Alongside recent stakes winner Ndola, Hear The Chant has produced last-start Bel Esprit Stakes (Listed, 1100m) scorer Hearcomesthestar (Zoustar) and seven-time winner Scream (Zoustar) as her first three foals.

“When she was in the stable I was just riding trackwork at the time,” Hayes recalled.

“She was a very speedy horse and she’s turned out to be a magnificent broodmare.”

Both Hearcomesthestar and Scream were sold at auction, however Ndola was kept by Devitt and the Gordon brothers, a decision which has proved to be well judged.

“Hearcomesthestar sold at Magics for $150,000 and Ndola we decided to keep as he was a bit of an ‘ugly duckling’ and probably wasn’t going to realise his worth, but he really grew out into a magnificent style of horse” Hayes added.

Now heading into this weekend’s sole Australian stakes contest, the now five-year-old bids to add to his seven career wins and over $665,000 in prize-money from just 18 starts.

“He’s pulled up super and he’s had a ‘tick over’ jumpout since his win,” Hayes said.

“We always targeted this race, to bring him back for it. We spelled him after Caulfield [VOBIS Gold Sprint] and we wanted to bring him back as the fit horse on the scene. 

“At this stage the plan is going perfectly and hopefully the winter fitness kicks in and he’s able to get a result.”

Currently rated 99, Ndola will carry the lowest weight of the Hayes trio at 54.5 kilograms, while the 108-rated Arkansaw Kid will carry 59 kilograms and 111-rated War Machine 60.5 kilograms.

Arkansaw Kid is a five-time winner from 31 starts of over $2.1 million in prize-money, with all five of those wins coming in stakes grade – the 2022 Inglis Banner (RL, 1000m), 2023 Gothic Stakes (Listed, 1200m), 2024 Regal Roller Stakes (Listed, 1200m), and the past two renewals of the Bobbie Lewis Quality (Gr 2, 1200m).

The six-year-old Harry Angel (Dark Angel) gelding was last seen running third in the Matrice Stakes (Listed, 1200m) at Morphettville on March 28, and has taken in jumpouts at both Traralgon and Flemington in recent weeks.

“We changed things around with him to keep him thinking,” Hayes said. “He’s been in work a long time, so it was like changing stables, without changing stables. 

“I thought his Traralgon jump-out was good, his jump-out [last] Friday was great and he’s always been a consistent, good horse, for the stable and is a horse we all love. 

“He’s good down the straight, he’s won a couple of Bobbie Lewis’, so he knows what he’s doing.”

Meanwhile, fellow classy operator War Machine will also be making his first-up start for the season after running fifth in an 800-metre jumpout at Flemington on July 10.

A winner of the Stradbroke Handicap (Gr 1, 1400m), Gilgai Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) and BRC Sprint (Gr 3, 1350m) in 2025, the Hayes brothers will surely be hoping for something of a similar ilk from the now six-year-old this time around.

“He lost his way a bit last preparation,” Hayes said. “He had a long prep. He went to Queensland, freshened, came back, went to The Everest, came back, but just didn’t come up in the autumn. 

“He had a long break, and he seems to have come back really well. His work at home has been great and seems a happier horse. He’s enjoying his trackwork, so hopefully that converts to some good runs.

“I think they’re the first three favourites, so hopefully one of them can win!”

Meanwhile, for Hear The Chant a trip back to Zoustar (Northern Meteor) beckons after foaling to newly crowned Champion First Season Sire Home Affairs (I Am Invincible).

“She’s in foal to Home Affairs which is very exciting and she is booked in to Zoustar at Widden,” Hayes said.

Hayes also has his eye on a soon-to-be starter for Devitt and the Gordon brothers, another horse to come out of their star broodmare.

“They [Devitt and the Gordon brothers] breed roughly about ten a year now. We have a nice two-year-old in training out of Hear The Chant called Chantess,” he said. 

“She was bought for $200,000 at Inglis Premier and they have stayed in the partnership.”