Ken Casellas | Photo: Pacepix
He’s driven in races at York in the north of England, on the grass track at Aberystwyth in Wales, on most tracks in Western Australia, in races at Menangle and Penrith in New South Wales, at Globe Derby Park in South Australia, and has appeared on Sweden’s major track, Solvalla in Stockholm, driving in pre-race warm-ups for leading trainer Stefan Melander.
That’s 40-year-old Hayden Charles, who celebrated his biggest success in harness racing when he drove Chief Copy to victory in the $30,000 Beau Rivage Westsired listed classic for two-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Charles, a qualified accountant who worked for nine years in the finance industry in London, has been back home in WA for the past five years and is now enjoying a full-time involvement in harness racing.
“It’s nice to win a Gloucester Park feature race at last,” he said after guiding Chief Copy, the $2.50 favourite to an all-the-way win for 76-year-old owner-trainer Charlie Luca.
“I have always wanted to win a major race, and it is great to win for Charlie, who has supported me throughout my career as a driver. My first win at Gloucester Park, and my second career win, was with Rattlesnake, who was trained by Charlie.”
Rattlesnake was handled for the first time in a race by Charles when he beat Via Las Vegas by a head in a 2100m C1-C2 event on October 22, 2001.
Chief Copy had a much easier victory on Friday night when Charles took him to the front after 100m and he was not extended in coasting to victory by three lengths over $6.50 chance Rox The World, rating 2.0.7 over the 2130m after dashing over the final 400m in 28.4sec.
“He did it very easily,” said Charles. “He was unlucky not to have won the Champagne Classic in which he got squeezed up and broke, and he also was unlucky when unplaced in the Western Crown Classic.”
Chief Copy, a colt by former star pacer My Hard Copy, is the only foal out of Kamendable Lass, who had 98 starts for seven wins, 21 placings and stakes of $67,816. Chief Copy is also related to former star mare Lombo Rapida, who earned $790,629 from 27 wins and 31 placings from 93 starts. Lombo Rapida’s wins included the 1999 WA Oaks and she finished second to Havago in the 2001 WA Pacing Cup.
Luca said that Chief Copy was so small that he was not entered for the 2022 APG Perth yearling sale. “I then bought him from his breeder Bill Hayes, and he has paid for himself,” he said.
Friday night’s success was Luca’s most significant win since he bred, owned, trained and drove Ricky Lane to victory over Better Than Jac and Dicks Choice in the $10,000 Spring Gift at Gloucester Park in November 1996.
“Chief Copy has shown me a lot more at home than he has in his races,” said Luca. “When I broke him in, I thought he was one of my best ones.”