Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) is back in work as Ben, Will & JD Hayes prepare their stable star to win a second All-Star Mile which will be run at Caulfield in 2024, with a trip to Hong Kong still very much on the table.
The four-time Group One winner of more than A$11 million in prize money will likely have his first three runs of his preparation at Caulfield, targeting the Gr.1 C F Orr Stakes (1400m) and Gr.1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) before the All-Star Mile third-up.
Mr Brightside was beaten in both the C F Orr and Futurity Stakes last year before winning the All-Star Mile at Moonee Valley and co-trainer JD Hayes says all has gone to plan for the six-year-old gelding.
“He’s freshened up beautifully, he’s basically done a carbon copy of what he did last time so hopefully it leads to a third-up All-Star Mile win,” Hayes said.
Mr Brightside won twice at Group One level last preparation and went agonisingly close to winning the Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m), beaten a nose by Hong Kong superstar Romantic Warrior, and a step out to 2000m after the All-Star mile is a possibility.
“It’s a bit of an open book, whether we go Australian Cup (Gr.1, 2000m) which is his most likely option at this point, and there’s also possibly a trip to Hong Kong but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” JD Hayes said.
A tilt at the Gr.1 Hong Kong Mile, won for the third time last Sunday by Golden Sixty, was on the cards but the stable opted to spell Mr Brightside after a six-run preparation that netted three wins and three second placings.
If Mr Brightside were to venture to Hong Kong in the Autumn it would likely be for the Gr.1 Champions Mile (1600m) on April 24, a race that Golden Sixty has won three years in a row, with the Gr.1 QEII Cup (2000m), won by Romantic Warrior two years running also a possibility.