Mr Brightside 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 1 winner of more than $11 million in prize money will likely have his first three runs of his preparation at Caulfield, targeting the Group 1 C F Orr Stakes (1400m) and Group 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 two Group Ones last preparation and went agonisingly close to winning the Group 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 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 Group 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 Group 1 Champions Mile (1600m) on April 24, a race that Golden Sixty has won three years in a row, with the Group 1 QEII Cup (2000m), won by Romantic Warrior two years running also a possibility.
