Lindsay Park legend Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) will look to maintain a perfect record in an early season Group One race at Flemington.

Mr Brightside has run in the Gr.1 Makybe Stakes (1600m), run at Flemington on Saturday, for the past three years, posting wins on each occasion.

In his first victory he defeated Alligator Blood before running down Pride Of Jenni in 2024 before last year defeating Aeliana.

Behind Mr Brightside in his last two victories has been Via Sistina who would go on to capture the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley the following month.

In Mr Brightside's favour in his three victories has been small fields where the now nine-year-old has been able to ride the speed.

And last year he crawled up front, running 1:38.75, sprinting home the last 600m in 32.66 seconds.

This year's field is double digits with 13 acceptors, but Mr Brightside has drawn ideally in gate two and with regular rider Craig Williams switching to Sir Delius, Blake Shinn takes the ride.

Mr Brightside's strength has been his longevity with 20 wins from 49 starts and a shade over A$19 million in prize money.

And he has largely been injury free, although a small bone chip in a fetlock kept the gelding from the track earlier in the year.

It allowed Mr Brightside a longer than normal spell and a solid build up for his return run.

J D Hayes, who trains the gelding in partnership with his brothers Ben and Will, described Mr Brightside a 'freak' after his first-up second to Beiwacht in the Gr.1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 29.

"He's never let us down," Hayes said.

"He's a freak and nothing surprises you when it comes to him.

"He was there at the top of the straight, he was vulnerable to the opposition, but he fought like a tiger and held on for second.

"The way it was looking he was going to run fourth, or fifth, we felt, but he dug deep and showed he is a true champion, but the winner was too good."

Being his first outing for the year, Hayes said Mr Brightside had taken considerable improvement from his Memsie run.

"He's improved, physically, as you would expect out of it after a long time off," Hayes said.

"He's tightened up beautifully and the Flemington mile, plus if there was any rain, it would be great." - RAS Newswire

Multiple Group Three winner retired to broodmare paddock

Tough Cambridge mare Churchillian (NZ) (Churchill) has run her final race, with the multiple Group Three winner retired ahead of the upcoming breeding season.

The Tony Pike-trained daughter of Churchill proved a model of durability and consistency, winning 11 of her 28 starts

Her three black-type victories included the Gr.3 Anniversary Handicap (1600m) at Trentham in 2024, while she enjoyed arguably her best campaign earlier this year with victories in the Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m) and Listed Tauranga Classic (1400m).

"Obviously, with the stud season just around the corner, the owners decided it was a good time to sell," Pike said.

"She's getting vetted, and the owners have accepted a private offer.

"She was a really tough mare. She overcame a couple of injury setbacks throughout her career and always managed to bounce back from those.

"She was maybe not a Group One mare, but just a genuine stakes-class horse. Not many win 11 of 28, it's an impressive achievement."

Bred by Pencarrow Thoroughbreds, Churchillian was purchased by Paul Willetts for $100,000 from Pencarrow Stud's draft at the 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale.

She is by Coolmore's dual Guineas winner Churchill out of the Fastnet Rock mare Fond du Coeur and descends from a high-class international family headed by Pride, whose three Group One victories included the Gr.1 Hong Kong Cup (2000m).

"She's got a lovely pedigree being by Churchill out of a Fastnet Rock mare and from the international family of triple Group One winner Pride," Pike said.

"She's got all the credentials to make it as a broodmare."

While Churchillian departs the Cambridge stable, Pike is looking forward to the return of Cannon Hill (NZ) (Ardrossan) "He will likely resume in the Open 1400m at Ellerslie on the 19th of September," Pike said.

"He trialled up nicely at Te Rapa, taking good improvement from that trial, and looks like he's in for another good preparation."

Pike will also be represented by a number of promising gallopers at Taupo on Friday, including Ellendale (NZ) (Proisir), Truly Divine (NZ) (Home Affairs) and All On Black (NZ) (Proisir).

Ellendale will resume over 1400m and Pike expects the filly to continue improving as she steps up in distance later in the season.

"She's a beautiful type of filly and is going to be even better once she progresses through the season and gets up over further," he said.

"She has trialled very well, and I think 1400m fresh-up should suit her well.

"If she can get a bit of luck from that awkward barrier, I think she's going to put in a good performance with plenty of improvement to come."

Truly Divine also returns as a stronger three-year-old after showing promise during her juvenile season.

"She's come back well this prep," Pike said. "She ran well at two, but it looks like she's improved into a good-looking three-year-old.

"She's another who has trialled well, but unfortunately she also has a sticky gate. She has got good gate speed, so hopefully she doesn't have to do too much work from that outside barrier.

"She'll be a chance in what's a very strong maiden three-year-old race."

All On Black is another to step out on Friday, albeit as a distance short of his best.

"He's another lovely type of horse and I see 1200m probably being on the shorter side for him," Pike said.

"He's another one that's drawn poorly. We've already scratched him on a wet track and from a bad gate, so we need to get his preparation underway.

"We'll probably ride him a little bit conservatively from that outside gate. He'll find the line well and we will see improvement once he gets up over further." - NZ Racing Desk

Trainer in no rush with quality mare

Marton trainer Fraser Auret is happy to play the waiting game with his multiple stakes-winning mare Khanshe (NZ) (Mongolian Khan).

He resisted the temptation to nominate her for any of the Group One legs of the Triple Crown series to do right by the late-blooming daughter of Mongolian Khan.

Khanshe’s last preparation was her most lucrative, with success at her last appearance in the Gr.2 Travis Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa after previously claiming the Gr.3 Phar Lap Trophy (1600m) at Trentham.

“Everything is spot on with her and she had quite a long season last time, so I just didn’t want to be in a hurry to get her back and bring her up too early,” Auret said.

“To my eye, she’s certainly a more physically mature horse now, she was always a little bit fine and on the weak side.

“She’s been licking the bowl clean, her summer coat is out so it’s all looking really positive for us.”

Careful management has been rewarded to this point, with six wins on the board from 20 outings, and two runs back she finished fourth in the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) at Trentham.

Khanshe’s preparation will shortly be stepped up ahead of her return to action.

“The plan is for her to trial next Tuesday at Foxton and then assess things from there,” Auret said.

A possible kicking off point for Khanshe is the Gr.3 Taranaki Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) at Hawera on October 3.

“A lot will be very dependant on the weather and how she pulls up from the trial, but I couldn’t be any happier with her, she’s just humming,” Auret said.

“At this stage, I’m comfortable just to go with the flow and the other thing that will be a bit interesting is whether she stays at the mile for a while or whether we target some of those bigger 2000m races around Christmas time.”

He was referring to the Gr.1 Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic (2000m) on Boxing Day, the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) and the Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Stakes (2000m).

“A lot will depend on what will happen in the next couple of months, but there isn’t an end goal in sight at this stage,” Auret said.

“We’re keeping everything on the table, we’ll let her come up nicely without doing too much too soon on wetter tracks.” - Paul Vettise

Full-circle moment for retired Prioress

In a full-circle moment, Group Three performer Prioress (NZ) (Proisir) is being reoffered on gavelhouse.com this week following her retirement from racing.

The daughter of Proisir was initially trained in Palmerston North by Lisa Latta, for whom she won four races before being offered on gavelhouse.com two years ago, and she was sold to Gordon’s bid of $7,250.

She would go on to win three races for the Horowhenua horsewoman, including the Listed Opunake Cup (1400m) at New Plymouth in July, which she quinellaed with stablemate and fellow gavelhouse.com graduate Turn The Ace, recording Gordon’s first stakes win in the process.

Buoyed by that result, Gordon crossed the Cook Strait with the pair to contest last month’s Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton, where Prioress finished third behind Quintabelle, in what would be her last career start.

“She’s done such a great job,” Gordon said. “Having her give me my first stakes win in the Opunake Cup was an obvious highlight, and she was probably a bit unlucky in the Winter Cup after that as well. She just got held up at a crucial stage at the top of the straight, but it was still a huge run to finish third, and she did us proud.

“She’s just tweaked a suspensory, so that’s the reason why we’ve decided to put her up for sale now as a breeding prospect. It’s nothing major, but she’s eight now and doesn’t really have anything more to prove.

“She’s a lovely, lovely all-round mare. She’s a big girl with huge bone, she’s jet black and has a wonderful nature. I have no doubt that she’ll make a lovely mum.”

Prioress won seven and placed in 21 of her 61 career starts and earned more than $310,000 in prizemoney.

The latest gavelhouse.com auction is currently live, with bidding set to close from 7pm on Monday, September 14. - LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

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