David Hayes doesn't pull any punches in his assessment of his stable's below-par performance of the first few months of the current racing season

Neither does he mind praising its resurgence since the new year.

"We were spectators for three months - now we're competitors," Hayes said.

For the man who once collected training championships as if they were his birthright - which they may have been - the lean streak went a lot further back than the start of this season.

From the time he moved from the Barossa Valley headquarters established by his late father Colin, to Euroa in central Victoria in 2010, winners had been scarce.

But the turnaround now appears to be complete and the racing dynasty that dominated Victorian and South Australian racing for a quarter of a century is again in full swing.

Further evidence of the return of the Hayes name as a force in racing was provided at Sandown on Wednesday when Aashiq won the Settlement at Cranbourne Handicap (1400m).

"He's typical of how things are going for us now," Hayes said.

"Before today he'd won on a heavy track at Tatura but this time in he's been placed first-up at Flemington and now he's won here today."

Aashiq ($7.50) scored by a half head from Messene ($5.50) with Cavallo Nero ($7) a further 1-1/4 lengths away third.

The win put Hayes into equal second place on the Melbourne trainers' premiership, a position he despaired of reaching last spring.

But perseverance and the completion of the new complex at Euroa have put Hayes back into play.

"The grass tracks have gone in now and that's made a huge difference," he said.

"I'm training on a racetrack now.

"There's an uphill gallop so they stay sound and the ground is irrigated at 4.30 every morning so we have genuine dead ground right through their training.

"It's keeping them on their legs, I'm getting more runners."

Aashiq is Hayes 25th Melbourne winner for the season, a figure that places him alongside Peter Snowden on the Melbourne trainers' table which is led by Peter Moody on 36 wins.

Another trainer whose form is impossible to ignore is Mark Riley who followed Hayes into the winners' stall with Champagne Shisha in the Lister Handicap (1300m).

Champagne Shisha ($3.70) became Riley's fourth winner from his past four runners and the stable's sixth form it's past 10 starters.

She beat the $3.20 favourite Gracie Louis by 1-3/4 lengths with the same margin to Circle The Globe ($16) in third place.