Adam Sangster Buys Out Hayes in Collingrove Stud

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Once parties sign off on the deal, Collingrove will be wholly owned by the Sangster Group, headed by Adam Sangster and his brother, Ben, sons of the late Robert Sangster. The two famous racing families had run Collingrove-Victoria as a joint operation.

A New South Wales branch of the two-state operation, at Sandy's Hollow, was purchased by the Sangster Group in the mid-1990s. The late Colin Hayes had acquired the former Manado Stud from Souren Vanian a decade earlier.

Colin Hayes created a South Australian empire base at the top of the Barossa Valley, one of the country's wine making districts, in South Australia. From the expansive stud farm and training complex he designed, Hayes fostered the heavy investment Robert Sangster made in the Australian Thoroughbred industry in the early 1980s.

They restarted and then expanded the shuttle, first with the Dancer's Image horse Godswalk. The concept had its origins when dabbled in briefly by Nelson Bunker Hunt a decade earlier.
Adam Sangster has been based in Australia since 1991 and has adopted Australian citizenship. He was managing partner of Collingrove-Victoria while David Hayes trained in Hong Kong for 10 years until June.

The buy-out signals the intention of Hayes to concentrate on his training activities from stables at Lindsay Park and Flemington. A new satellite barn is set to open at Randwick in Sydney early next year.

Adam Sangster said he will continue to expand the Collingrove operation and stand stallions at Nagambie. He will also continue to manage the racing and breeding operations for the Sangster family in Australia.

"Collingrove's policy of offering all of its yearlings for sale will remain," Sangster added.

Current stallions under the Sangster-Hayes partnership include current Coolmore commuter Hold That Tiger, a Storm Cat son based at Ashford in the north. The others rostered in 2005 are former shuttlers Bianconi and Perugino, Melbourne Cup winner Jeune, Court of Jewels and Dash For Cash.