Goulburn Valley: Will and JD Hayes star in Euroa finals win over Mooroopna

JD and Will Hayes were Euroa’s best two players in the GV elimination final only 24 hours after Mr Brightside won again at Group 1 level.

Euroa is a big step closer to another Goulburn Valley league grand final berth, safe in the knowledge Will and JD Hayes are available to play in its semi-final on Sunday.

The twins dominated in Euroa’s elimination final win against Mooroopna last Sunday and will be free to play against Seymour in the first semi-final.

But had the first finals match been played the previous day, Euroa would have been without the pair and potentially out of the flag race already.

Former Carlton and Western Bulldogs player Will Hayes has starred for Euroa in the Goulburn Valley league this season. Picture: Matthew Mills

Business comes first for the Hayes boys, whose Lindsay Park stables is always chasing Group 1 race wins, and celebrated one last Saturday with Mr Brightside in the Memsie Stakes.

But in the around-the-clock-world of racing there is still time for some pleasure with Will and JD playing alongside each other in a finals match for the first time last Sunday.

“It’s an absolute privilege to have Brightside represent our stable so we wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Will said.

“It was a dream come true having a double of a Group 1 winner and then coming out the next day and winning an elimination final.”

Will joined JD and brother Ben in the training partnership at the start of August and Mr Brightside is the stable star.

Mr Brightside takes out the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield last Saturday. Picture: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images

His next start will be in the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington with his spring “grand final” the Cox Plate or the inaugural King Charles III Stakes in Sydney worth $5 million.

“He’s very versatile and won at weight-for-age at the weekend,” Will said.

“He’s got options aplenty.”

The Hayes boys’ father David won the Cox Plate with Better Loosen Up in 1990 and their grandfather Colin also won the Moonee Valley classic with Dulcify 11 years earlier before breaking down in the Melbourne Cup.

Will has dominated for Euroa in his comeback season with the club following his delisting from Carlton 12 months ago.

He is the hot favourite to become only the second Euroa player to win the GV Morrison Medal.

JD is former Euroa coach, but racing commitments have limited him to five senior appearances with the elimination final his first since mid-July.

Will Hayes, Ben Hayes and JD Hayes after Mr Brightside (NZ) won the Stow Storage Memsie Stakes at Caulfield Racecourse on September 02, 2023 in Caulfield, Australia. Picture: Scott Barbour/Racing Photos

The bonus for Euroa is all games for the rest of the season will be Sundays including the grand final.

“I think we’re only going to get better as a team the further we go in finals,” Will said.

“(JD) is a natural footballer so it didn’t take long for him to pick up where he had left off.”

Euroa was beaten by Echuca in the grand final last year and one person not overly thrilled with the Hayes brothers being free of racing commitments last Sunday was Mooroopna coach John Lamont.

The former Werribee coach described them as “A grade-plus” players at GV level.

“This time last year, give or take a month, Will was playing AFL footy and a dominant player at VFL level,” he said.

“I distinctly remember one game at Werribee we couldn’t stop him getting the ball.

“He’s an elite runner, runs really well and at our level of footy, he is a cut above.

“But they are both A grade-plus players at our level of footy.”