Champion galloper Mr Brightside has taken another significant step towards his long-awaited return to racing, with connections declaring they “couldn’t be happier” after the multiple Group 1 winner’s first public jump-out since undergoing surgery.
The Lindsay Park star stepped out at Flemington on Monday and remains firmly on track to resume in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 29 after an encouraging performance.
First Public Hit-Out Since Surgery
Mr Brightside was given an easy time in his jump-out, settling towards the rear before working through the line under Mark Zahra, who partnered the gelding while regular jockey Craig Williams continues humanitarian work in Ukraine.
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Co-trainer JD Hayes said the stable was delighted with what they saw from the 10-time Group 1 winner.
“Couldn’t be happier,” Hayes said.
“It was exactly what we wanted to see.”
Hayes explained the veteran wasn’t asked to do much, with the primary objective simply giving him valuable race-day conditioning ahead of another jump-out before his return.
Memsie Stakes Remains the Target
The jump-out all but confirmed the stable’s intention to resume Mr Brightside in the Memsie Stakes, a race he won in 2023 before launching another outstanding spring campaign.
The gelding has not raced since finishing fifth in the Champions Mile at Flemington last November after missing the entire autumn carnival while recovering from minor fetlock surgery.
Hayes has consistently maintained the stable has never lost confidence in the rising nine-year-old despite his time away from the track.
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“He has never let us down.”
“We are looking forward to having him back.”
Age No Concern for Lindsay Park
Despite approaching his ninth birthday, Hayes believes Mr Brightside is capable of adding to his remarkable record.
The champion miler has won more than $19 million in prizemoney and captured 10 Group 1 races, establishing himself as one of Australia’s most consistent weight-for-age performers.
Earlier this week, Hayes pointed to veterans such as Fields Of Omagh and Niconero, who both enjoyed elite-level success as older horses.
“They can do it.”
“We feel like we’ve got him going like we always do.”
Another Spring Assault Awaits
Mr Brightside has become one of the defining horses of Australian racing over the past four seasons, rarely producing a poor performance at the elite level.
Monday’s jump-out was never about dazzling clock-watchers. Instead, it was another carefully planned building block towards the spring carnival.
If his next trial goes to plan, Mr Brightside will return in the Memsie Stakes before again targeting Melbourne’s major weight-for-age races, where the evergreen star will attempt to add even more Group 1 success to an already extraordinary résumé.
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