The sale of Lindsay Park, considered as sacred ground by the late Colin Hayes, where so many wonderful racehorses first saw the light of day, is moving into a new era.

It is as if the soul has been wrenched out of, not only South Australia, but the bloodstock industry as a whole.

The late Colin Hayes purchased Lindsay Park, as it was known in 1965, from the original owners, the Angus family, who migrated from Newcastle in the North of England.

Buying Lindsay Park was a dramatic step which he could not finance alone.

A syndicate was formed among friends, some of whom were clients, including Don McKay, vice chairman of the S A J C, Wyndham Hill Smith, chairman of Yalumba Wines, Harry Cornell, a businessman from Mildura, and prominent jockey Ron Hutchinson.

Back in 1965, when Lindsay Park was purchased, there were no facilities for breeding or training horses.

Colin Hayes was an extraordinary person, he succeeded where so many had failed, combining the training and breeding of thoroughbreds

His success rate was exceptional, the secret being he kept each identity separate, best illustrated winning the Victorian trainer’s 13 times, besides being premier trainer in the 1984-85 season with 66 winners, his Lindsay Park stud offered 51 yearlings at the Adelaide Sales in1985.