The country’s best miler, Mr Brightside, is looking to extend a remarkable winning streak when he heads up to Sydney for the inaugural edition of the Group 1 $5 million King Charles III Stakes (1600m).
Mr Brightside is favourite to keep the Group 1 wins coming heading to Sydney for the $5 million King Charles III Stakes. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
The event was formerly known as the George Main Stakes and held earlier in the carnival but has now been revamped and complements an incredible Randwick race card for The Everest Day.
The second richest event on the program second in prize money only to the $20 million The Everest (1200m), the King Charles III Stakes field has attracted a line-up of the season’s leading middle-distance horses.
Heading the King Charles III Stakes odds at Ladbrokes chasing his sixth win on the trot is the Team Hayes-trained Mr Brightside at $2.25.
The six-year-old son of Bullbars will take his prize money up over $10 million should he run fist or second and jumps from barrier eight with Craig Williams continuing associations.
Mr Brightside is at his pet distance here boasting an imposing 1600m record of 10 wins from 14 starts including the $5 million All-Star Mile at The Valley and the Doncaster Mile at Saturday’s track and trip over the autumn.
He has been on fire down south this spring winning all three starts including completing the Memsie Stakes – Makybe Diva Stakes Group 1 double.
That form was franked with the Makybe runner-up Alligator Blood going on to win the Underwood Stakes next start and now the punters are predicting Mr Brightside to do something similar in Sydney.
He is the obvious class horse in the race and will take the power of beating on the weekend.
Three of his rivals are also under double-figures in King Charles III Stakes betting to score an upset including the early market mover Zaaki ($9.50 into $8).
Annabel Neasham’s nine-year-old marvel chases his first victory since the Group 2 Hollindale in Queensland over the winter.
The 2022 All-Star Mile champ and dual Mackinnon Stakes winner is third-up this weekend and continues to race like a much younger horse.
He has run well in both his Sydney lead-ups when third only a half-length off Fangirl fresh in the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) and then second by a nostril flare to Think It Over in the $1 million 7 Stakes (1600m) on September 16.
Zaaki faces both of those same horses again here with Fangirl also at $8 in betting drawn ideally in gate with James McDonald aboard Chris Waller’s smart mare while the Kerry Parker-trained Think It Over looks value at $12 in gate four with the season’s in-form jockey Nash Rawiller to ride.
Rounding out the single-figure fancies at King Charles Stakes III odds of $9.50 is the promising Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained import Light Infantry Man ($9.50).
Hong Kong hoop Zac Purton is in town and takes the mount from gate six aboard the consistent Fast Company entire who makes his Australian race debut in the lucrative mile event.
Back in Europe he has been a perennial place-getter of late running top three in his four latest runs, three of which were in Group 1 company, and he is looking to finally secure a win at the distance after some frustratingly close calls (7:0-2-3).
The 2023 King Charles III Stakes runs as Race 9 on the 10-race Randwick card at 5:35pm (AEDT).
2023 King Charles III Stakes Field & Barriers
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Probable Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x14241x631 | THINK IT OVER | Kerry Parker | Nash Rawiller | 4 | 59kg | 120 | ||
| 2 | 3x5211x111 | MR BRIGHTSIDE (NZ) | Ben, Will & JD Hayes | Craig Williams | 8 | 59kg | 119 | ||
| 3 | 341x217x32 | ZAAKI (GB) | Annabel Neasham | Ms Jamie Kah | 7 | 59kg | 118 | ||
| 4 | 8x0653216x | HUETOR (FR) | Peter & Paul Snowden | Joshua Parr | 12 | 59kg | 111 | ||
| 5 | 2x6x372332 | LIGHT INFANTRY MAN (FR) | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Zac Purton | 6 | 59kg | 110 | ||
| 6 | 6x6026x647 | MY OBERON (IRE) | Annabel Neasham | Chad Schofield | 3 | 59kg | 109 | ||
| 7 | x216x143x2 | BUCKAROO (GB) | Joseph O’Brien | Hugh Bowman | 10 | 59kg | 107 | ||
| 8 | 121735×454 | ZEYREK (FR) | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Sam Clipperton | 13 | 59kg | 106 | ||
| 9 | 1113553×40 | NUGGET (GB) | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Dylan Gibbons (a) | 9 | 59kg | 104 | ||
| 10 | 3x1761x015 | DEMOCRACY MANIFEST | Chris Waller | Tyler Schiller | 16 | 59kg | 101 | ||
| 11 | x2400x9013 | GOLDEN MILE | James Cummings | Zac Lloyd (a) | 5 | 58.5kg | 109 | ||
| 12 | 11x3131x92 | KOVALICA (NZ) | Chris Waller | Tommy Berry | 15 | 58.5kg | 108 | ||
| 13 | x641211x11 | REDIENER | Chris Waller | Ms Kathy O’Hara | 1 | 58.5kg | 107 | ||
| 14 | 62x3227x13 | FANGIRL | Chris Waller | James McDonald | 2 | 57kg | 114 | ||
| 15 | 23x216Px52 | ATISHU (NZ) | Chris Waller | Kerrin McEvoy | 11 | 57kg | 111 | ||
| 16 | 42x1442x36 | HOPE IN YOUR HEART | Kerry Parker | Jason Collett | 14 | 57kg | 109 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
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