Mr Brightside gave Ben & Jd Hayes their first Group 1 winner, taking out the 2021 Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) and will follow a similar initial preparation to last Spring, set to resume in Saturday’s Group 2 PB Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.
New addition to the Hayes training trio, Will Hayes, is hoping the stable stalwart can give him his first Group 1 winner as part of the Lindsay Park operation and thinks the six-year-old is ready to go first up, having won his most recent jump out.
“Couldn’t be more thrilled with his two trials that he’s done at Flemington, he’s in terrific order, he’s a warhorse now, he’s got plenty of pre-seasons under the belt so we’re hoping for a very forward run first up,” Hayes said.
Runs in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) and Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) are also pencilled in, with the latter to determine whether he returns to Moonee Valley for another Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) tilt or is kept to a mile.
“We’ll make that decision after the Makybe Diva. We’re definitely going to see how he gets through those first few runs and then make the best decisions from there,” Hayes said.
All 11 of Mr Brightside’s wins have come between 1400-1630m, and the $8 million earner could potentially chase international riches later this year.
A possible overseas trip to visit father David Hayes in Hong Kong for December’s Group 1 Hong Kong Mile (1600m) is still very much in mind, with the Cox Plate form already standing up in last year’s edition through Laws Of Indices.
“It’s still a long way away but it’s definitely on the table,” Hayes said.
