Denmark-raised Hayden Reeves enjoying his third stint as a trotting trainer

A childhood in Denmark has helped Hayden Reeves flourish as a harness trainer and he hopes one day to add another Group 1 feature race to his resume. Reeves, who spent his teenage years growing up in Denmark, is in a third stint as a horse trainer now based out of Coolup after being part of the Australian Army for six years. The highlight of his career thus far has been winning the 2010 Group 1 WA Sires Series Final for three-year-old fillies and mares with Edna Anne, which paid $119 in the feature race. This season Reeves took out the Narrogin leading trainer award after four victories and nine minor placings from 37 starters. A licensed trainer-driver, Reeves said he enjoyed his time growing up in the Great Southern. “I was born in Denmark and moved to Bunbury when I was 15-16 to finish schooling there,” Reeves said. “I lived with my Dad Colin Reeves who was training horses full time and his parents Stan and Verna Reeves opened the Reeves and Co Butchers in Denmark. “We lived on a farm near Parry Beach and then in Scottsdale, I had a really good childhood. “We had a lot of interaction with horses as my Dad was training and my grandparents, Elsie and Ray Laing, had bred a few.” Reeves gained his trainer’s licence in 2000 before he joined the army. “The army was an excellent experience which gave me the privilege of serving in East Timor for six months and Malaysia for three months,” he said. “We took part in many community operations like cyclone assistance in North Queensland and searching for a lost foreign national in the Forest of Moreton Island for five days.” From there Reeves returned to WA and began training again in 2008 as he went on to taste a thrilling Group 1 victory. There was a five-year hiatus from 2013 as he got married and started a family but Reeves is back in the stable and loving his time with pacers. Currently with 15 horses in work, the former Denmark resident says he will continue training for years to come. Reeves said Cyclone Jim is his best horse on pure ability, the four-year-old having won four of his 19 career starts. One of his biggest thrills was seeing Hezgot Fusion Power winning as a 10-year-old last year at his first start in almost seven years.