Seafall was not Lindsay Park’s premier seed for the Winter Championship heading into the series, but the in-form mare now carries the Hayes family’s aspirations for a long-awaited victory in the Finals Day feature event.

The five-year-old bay mare, a progeny of The Autumn Sun, will be the sole contender representing Ben, Will, and JD Hayes in the $200,000 Listed race at Flemington this Saturday.

While the Hayes family has frequently celebrated success on Finals Day as the racing program has developed, their last triumph in the day’s main event was back in 1985 when grandfather Colin Hayes secured the win with Kiwi Slave.

Ben Hayes expressed satisfaction with Seafall spearheading a substantial team of runners for Finals Day, which also includes Ndola in the Santa Ana Lane Final, The Western Front in the Banjo Paterson Final, Stylish and Grid Girl in the Leilani Final, and Stars Of Dom, Vivid Storm, and Resolutely in the Next Generation Final.

“You always like to have runners at Flemington and it has been a good meeting for us over the years,” he said. “I think we’ve going to have a good team there and hopefully we can get a winner or two.”

Seafall is set to advance her career in this race, marking her first appearance in Stakes grade since finishing eighth in the Group 3 Kembla Grange Classic as a three-year-old, under the training of Chris Waller.

She transferred to Lindsay Park last spring and endured her initial seven starts without a win for the stable, but has since achieved four victories from her most recent five outings.

Her latest win was in The David Bourke at Flemington on June 20, which confirmed her qualification for the Winter Championship Final.

“She’s thriving, she’s a mare in form and when mares are in form they just keep going,” Hayes commented. “She’s a lovely, sound horse and I think it’s a great opportunity for a mare like her to go for Black Type. If she draws a barrier and gets the right run she can go very close. There aren’t many Stakes races this time of year, so it’s a good opportunity to hopefully get some Black Type for her.”

Seafall is among the 24 horses nominated for the Winter Championship Final, with defending champion Jimmy The Bear being the standout entry.

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