D J Hall

David Hall was born in Adelaide, the son of trainer Joe Hall. He began training at Morphettville in 1988 and moved to Melbourne five years later. Best known at home for winning the Melbourne Cup in 2003 with the brilliant Makybe Diva, he also trained Silent Witness before the champion sprinter switched to Hong Kong. Hall began his training career in Hong Kong in 2004/05. Absolute Champion’s victory in the Hong Kong Sprint is his Hong Kong highlight to date, while both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons saw Hall return 44 wins apiece – his highest returns so far. He also won the 2024 Chairman’s Sprint Prize with Invincible Sage, the horse who provided his 600th Hong Kong winner in 2023. He saddled two Group 3 winners in the 2018/19 season: Ho Ho Khan (Queen Mother Memorial Cup) and Little Giant (Sha Tin Vase). Notable Wins Include:Hong Kong Sprint (2006 Absolute Champion), Chairman’s Sprint Prize (2007 Absolute Champion, 2024 Invincible Sage), Centenary Sprint Cup (2008 Absolute Champion), Melbourne Cup (2003 Makybe Diva), Sydney Cup (2004 Makybe Diva), Oakleigh Plate (1995 Khaptingly), Australasian Oaks (1999 Episode), South Australian Oaks (1999 Episode), Salinger Stakes (1999 Pharein), Victoria Derby (2000 Hit The Roof), Brisbane Cup (2003 Piachay), HKG3 Premier Bowl (2006 Absolute Champion), HKG3 Premier Plate (2014 Bubble Chic), HKG3 Premier Cup (2007 Egyptian Ra), G3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup (2014 Bubble Chic [HKG3], 2019 Ho Ho Khan), HKG3 National Day Cup (2014 Bundle Of Joy), HKG3 Bauhinia Sprint Trophy (2015 Rad), G3 Sha Tin Vase (2019 Little Giant). Hong Kong Career Wins (at start of 2026/27 season):692 (win strike rate: 8.4%).