WATCH: Limerick jockey celebrates thrilling win in Epsom Oaks

HIGHLY-REGARDED Limerick jockey Chris Hayes partnered the exciting Ezeliya to an impressive success in the Betfred Oaks at Epsom for trainer Dermot Weld on Friday afternoon.

The Aga Khan-owned 13-2 chance was kept handy throughout the mile-and-a-half fillies’ showpiece by Shanagolden horseman Hayes and was in the middle of the field of 12 as they turned for home.

From there she began to gain ground, moving with real purpose and staying on strongly to take up the lead and see off a challenge from Charlie Appleby’s Dance Sequence – who did not help her jockey in the closing stages – to prevail by three lengths.

David Menuisier’s War Chimes ran a huge race in third at 50-1, but hot favourite Ylang Ylang was disappointing, never really being able to get in a serious blow.

Thirty six-year-old Hayes attended Shanagolden NS and later Salesian College, Pallaskenry before progressing to RACE Racing Academy and Centre of Education in Kildare.

He joined Kevin Prendergast as an apprentice in 2004 and was champion apprentice in each of the next three years. 

Hayes rode his first winner on the track in July 2004 when partnering Anonymity to success at Bellewstown for trainer Ger Lynch.

oozes class in the @Betfred Oaks @EpsomRacecourse @chrishayes24 | @AgaKhanStuds pic.twitter.com/eOBA3LcsDS

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 31, 2024

Chris Hayes rode the longest-priced winner in the history of racing in Ireland or Britain when partnering the Luke comer-trained He Knows No Fear to win an eight-furlong maiden at Leopardstown in August, 2020 at odds of 300/1. 

Epsom Oaks winning trainer Dermot Weld said winning jockey Hayes had given Ezeliya a 'beautiful' ride in the race.

Dermot Weld said: “It’s a very special day. Competition is very keen nowadays and we’re very fortunate to have a filly for His Highness that is as good as this,” said Weld, who was winning the race for the second time, after Blue Wind in 1981.

“She’s a beautifully-mannered animal and a beautiful filly to train. Patience has paid dividend with her; we took our time with her as a two-year-old, and just gave her one run this year when she won nicely at Navan.

“She loves to come from off the pace, this is a progressive filly. She’s very relaxed and got a beautiful ride from Chris Hayes. She was cantering down the hill then he gave her a couple of strides and let her go.

“We will look at the Irish Oaks or wait for an autumn campaign.”

He added: “She’s a good filly, her dam was a very good filly, Frankie Dettori rode her at the Breeders’ Cup and then she ran in Hong Kong where she was third in the Vase.

“I was always pretty sure she’d stay, she’s from a great staying Aga Khan family that goes back to the Gold Cup horses Enzeli and Estimate, so that’s why I was confident about the trip.

️ "It's a little bit surreal."@chrishayes24 could barely comprehend the ease in which galloped into the history books with a stunning success in the @Betfred Oaks @EpsomRacecourse @AgaKhanStuds | @LydiaHislop pic.twitter.com/zYC983tqrv

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 31, 2024

“She’s also a very relaxed filly and it was a beautiful ride by Chris, I was pretty confident from a long way out, she was cantering, he got her into a beautiful rhythm which is important before you let them go, and he sat for those couple of strides.

“It’s a few years since I first won the Oaks, but I haven’t had many runners. It’s hard to get fillies like this. Harzand won the Derby here and I rode the winner of the amateur Derby here, and trained it!

“She looks like an Irish Oaks filly, but we’ll see how she is.”