(Photo by Scott Barbour/Racing Photos)
The Group One Champions Mile (1600m) at Flemington has been one of the few major miles to elude Mr Brightside (Bullbars), who finished fourth in the race in 2021, third in 2022 and second last year. But it was fourth time lucky on Saturday and the seven-year-old added the A$3 million feature to his glittering CV.
Mr Brightside has now won 18 of his 40 starts and more than A$16 million in stakes, and he is showing no sign of slowing down. He has continued his customary consistency throughout this spring, running second in the Gr.1 Memsie Stakes (1400m), winning the Gr.1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m), finishing second in the Gr.2 Feehan Stakes (1600m), second in the Gr.1 Might And Power Stakes (2000m) and a last-start fourth in the Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m).
The Bullbars gelding was just edged out for favouritism on Saturday by his old nemesis Pride Of Jenni, who beat him into second in last year’s edition of the race. But this time that result was emphatically reversed.
Pride Of Jenni adopted her usual front-running tactics, with Mr Brightside and his regular rider Craig Williams biding their time in fifth along the rail.
Pride Of Jenni’s lead was swallowed up soon after rounding the home turn, with Amelia’s Jewel surging past her to take the lead with a likely-looking run. Fangirl, Antino and Stefi Magnetica then launched booming finishes out wide on the track, while Mr Brightside scythed through the pack closer to the inside.
In a desperate five-horse scramble to the finish, Mr Brightside’s renowned never-say-die qualities carried him through and he pulled ahead of Antino to win by half a length in a New Zealand-bred quinella. Fangirl finished third, just ahead of Stefi Magnetica and Amelia’s Jewel.
”It’s one of those ‘pinch yourself’ moments to be a part of this horse,” Williams said. “I’ve been with him since the third start of his career, and it’s been an amazing journey with him.
“Credit has to go to Ben, Will and JD Hayes for the way they’ve developed him. They built his confidence, he got stronger and he got better. He believed in himself and now he’s this type of horse. So full credit has to go to those boys, but also to Mr Brightside, who just loves to win.
“It’s great for him to get another Group One this preparation, because they’re not easy. So it just gives me nothing but another great thrill.
“He travelled a lot better in the blinkers today. He felt more professional today and really switched on, but he actually has been feeling like that his last couple of runs. He was amazing in the Cox Plate too but just didn’t get the result.
“I saw Antino out wide there today, and he’s a good horse. My only concern was whether he was going to be able to see the competition. But he had nothing else in his mind other than ‘I’m going as fast as I can to that winning post.’ He’s decelerating a lot slower than all those other top horses, which is so remarkable at his age.
“He’s the horse that I’ve won the most races on in my career. I’ve been really lucky to have horses like him and Bella Nipotina, but, you know, they line up every day, we demand and ask them to be the best horse they can be against the best opposition and luckily for me, they are usually. I’m very, very grateful and lucky.”
The Hayes team were similarly grateful to have Mr Brightside as the undisputed headline horse of their Lindsay Park operation.
“It's quite emotional to be honest,” Will Hayes said. “He really is our flagbearer. We owe this horse everything. He started our momentum as a stable and really generated a lot of hype for us and the way he’s raced today, it was heart-in-your-mouth stuff. We took a risk and put the blinkers on, back in trip, it was suitable and Craig rode him terrifically. We just needed the split and when he took it, he did what champions do and savaged the line.
“The old man in Hong Kong (David Hayes) suggested the blinkers, but it’s a team effort and Mr Brightside represents our team so well. It’s such a credit to all our staff across all our locations and to get the win today is just absolutely something special and really something to hang a hat on for the spring.”
Mr Brightside was bred by Ray Johnson in partnership with his late wife Martha. He was sold as a yearling for $22,000 via Janine Dunlop’s Phoenix Park at the 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock May Sale, where he was bought by Phill Cataldo. He then failed to meet his $50,000 reserve when re-offered at the Ready to Run Sale.
An opportunity later arose for Johnson to buy him back on gavelhouse.com for just $7,750, in conjunction with Cambridge trainer Ralph Manning and good friend Shaun Dromgool. Mr Brightside finished a luckless fifth in his sole New Zealand start at Matamata for Manning, having previously won a trial. He was subsequently sold privately to clients of the Hayes stable via Australian agent Wayne Ormond.
