Tulloch Lodge trainer Adrian Bott has had a vested interest in the start of Mr Brightside’s spring campaign and hopes that gelding’s good form augurs well for his own stable heavyweight, Royal Patronage.
The Lindsay Park-prepared Mr Brightside and Royal Patronage both competed in Hong Kong’s Champions Mile (1600m) in April, neither managing to produce their best and finishing down the track.
However, Mr Brightside has shown no ill effects from the travel, bouncing back to finish second to star mare Treasurethe Moment first-up in the Memsie Stakes (1400m) and capturing the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) last Saturday.
Those performances have been heartening for Bott, who is hoping Royal Patronage can also rebound when he resumes at Randwick this weekend.
“Things didn’t work out for him in Hong Kong but he’s had a good break off the back of that,” Bott said.
“He is first-up here and Mr Brightside has shown you can bounce back off those international preps.
“He seems in good shape and he is coming up well.”
Royal Patronage is an acceptor for the 7 Stakes (1600m) and Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) but he is slated to tackle the former due to the combination of a big weight, wide draw and uncertainty over whether he will gain a start as third emergency in the shorter race.
Bott admitted to some reservations about kicking him off over a mile with his two previous fresh wins in Australia coming over sharper trips, however, the horse did finish runner-up in the Doncaster Mile (1600m) over the course and distance.
“The mile first-up is new territory for him,” he said.
“He’s a horse that performs really well first-up and does well fresh but that’s been over 1400 and 1300.
“The mile seems to be his ideal distance though, so I think he can be effective in that regard and he’s had a good grounding to get here.”
The 7 Stakes has attracted a field of 11, highlighted by last year’s winner Fangirl, dual Group 1 winner Ceolwulf and the Ciaron Maher-trained pair of Light Infantry Man and Gringotts.
Bott said Royal Patronage was being aimed towards the King Charles III Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on Everest day.
