Blue Diamond winner Little Brose (Per Incanto) has the world at his feet, quite literally, as the Group One-winning colt builds towards a defining spring preparation.
Like stablemate Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars), the Hong Kong-owned Little Brose has been vaccinated to race in the racing mecca, keeping the door ajar to compete at Sha Tin’s International meeting in December.
“It is a possibility as he is owned by Mr Young up there in Hong Kong and he would love to see his horse compete on the world stage,” said JD Hayes, who trains the colt in partnership with his brother Ben.
“He is going to have to put together a very good spring to book his ticket, but we think he is capable and hopefully the next couple of months will tell.”
Little Brose had a jumpout at Flemington last Friday and will have another on August 7 before resuming in the Vain Stakes a fortnight later, but it’s another race which is set to decide his spring path.
“We will then probably do a traditional path of going to the McNeil,” Hayes said of his second-up run.
“We might try him in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude over 1400 metres and that might be a fork in the road for the preparation as to whether we kept sprinting or look to a possible Guineas tilt.”
Hayes was buoyant about the horse’s physical development as he enters his three-year-old year.
“We are really happy with the way he has strengthened and developed with his time off,” Hayes said.
“We always thought he would train on at three, especially being by Per Incanto, we thought whatever we got at two was just a bonus.
“So if that’s the case, we are going to be very, very happy because he exceeded all expectations at two.”
Hayes also confirmed the P.B. Lawrence Stakes on August 19 will again be the kick-off race for Mr Brightside this spring, along with the Memsie and Makybe Diva Stakes, before likely contesting the new $5 million King Charles III Stakes at Randwick on October 14 and being set for another Cox Plate.
“The times that we stretched him out to 2000 metres, nothing seemed to bounce his way, so we haven’t ruled it out,” Hayes said of seeing Mr Brightside at his best at the distance.
“He has proven to be one of the better milers in the country, so stepping out to 2000 metres, hopefully this time as an older horse in the spring, he can prove he is just as good over 2000 metres.”
Mr Brightside will jump out again on August 7 and is also a candidate to contest the Hong Kong International meeting in December.
