Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) made his first public appearance for 2026 at the Flemington jumpouts on Monday as the now nine-year-old tracks towards a much-anticipated comeback in the Gr.1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 29.

Co-trainer JD Hayes said Mr Brightside, who was laid low by a fetlock issue last summer, was asked for little in his opening trial but said the Lindsay Park team were content he would make it to his fourth consecutive Memsie via a stronger trial at Flemington on Friday week.

"Really happy with the way he went around," Hayes said. "We had Mark Zahra on board as Craig (Williams) is obviously overseas. It was his first trial from a long time off and he just blew the cobwebs out and he seems to have come through it in really good order.

"He just had an arthroscope on his fetlock and we just had to clean that out. It really is a minor surgery and is quite common, He’s come back great and he really appreciated the time off. All guns blazing to Friday week where he will have a more serious trial."

Mr Brightside, a winner of nearly A$19 million in stakes, won the Memsie in 2023 and has been the runner-up in 2024 and 2025.

"He is a bit of unique animal," Hayes said. "He’s certainly a little a bit different, He is now nine but he only really started racing at four – he had a late start – so hopefully that means we are able to get a couple of more seasons out of him.

"He owes us nothing and certainly the way he is behaving in the mornings and the way he trialed this morning shows us he still wants to do it and that’s the main thing."

Hayes said the team at Lindsay Park were under no illusions as to the task in front of Mr Brightside as he lines up against a seemingly strong weight-for-age bunch this season.

"The weight-for-age ranks are always tough but he’s been carrying saddlecloth No. 1 for a few years now. He’s been having to fight off a lot of challengers in the past and this year is no easier that’s for sure."

While Mr Brightside finished near the rear in the 800-metre trial, it was a different matter for his stablemate Evaporate (NZ) (Per Incanto), who took out the heat.

"We’re really happy the way Evaporate has come to hand," Hayes said.

"He’s always been a galloper that we’ve thought highly of. He’s held in high regard here at Lindsay Park.

"He’s maturing slowly and starting to get his race habits under control.

"I thought he was quite good today, He was still a bit tardy away from the machine but he’s just so fresh and well and we think that trial will do feel will settle him nicely into his first-up run in the PB Lawrence.

"As soon as he starts settling and as soon as he doesn’t give away so much start when he leaves the machines they will be the key ingredients to get him winning weight-for-age races." - Racing.com

Why Waller is Verry keen on the Cox Plate with Aeliana

Chris Waller can see a lot of Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed) in his current staying star Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio) and the ground-breaking trainer is keen for the mare to follow the former champion’s path to the 2021 Melbourne Cup via the Cox Plate this spring.

A three-time Group One winner, as was Verry Elleegant at the end of her four-year-old season, Aeliana has been the early Caulfield Cup favourite since last spring, but Waller said he was happy to bypass the $6 million handicap feature for the $6 million weight-for-age race as he believed that program better suited Aeliana.

"I just saw Verry Elleegant come out of that Cox Plate – she didn’t win it – but it was just a perfect prep for the Melbourne Cup, and I just get that bit of a feel about Aeliana," Waller said.

"She’s won a Derby, Verry Elleegant won an Oaks. She won a Tancred, Verry Elleegant won a Tancred. I’d just rather go through the Cox Plate and I just think she’s a worthy contender.

"She was a dominant Derby winner and she was great in the Tancred and showed really good fight. We stopped instead of being tempted to go for the Queen Elizabeth, and it’s all for the spring. It’s all for the big performance in the spring.

"You’ve got to still stay two miles but the Cox Plate will be her first grand final for the spring.

"She’s come back a bit stronger and she’s taken all those right steps a mature mare should take and gee, she’s run some good races fresh like in the Winx last year when she really pushed Via Sistina."

Waller said he hoped the essence of the Cox Plate remained this spring with its shift to Flemington for the first time.

"It’s (Flemington) a great track to race on but the jockeys should be made to go at the 1000-metre mark like they do in the Cox Plate," Waller quipped.

"That’s the beauty of the Cox Plate. They take off so far from home and it’s a real staying test and that’s what she will appreciate."

The records of Aeliana and Verry Elleegant at the end of their four-year-old seasons are remarkably similar. Aeliana’s record stands at 18 starts for six wins and three G1s while Verry Eleegant’s record at that stage of her career was 19 starts for eight wins and three G1s.

Verry Elleegant went to an entirely new level as a five-year-old, securing five Gr.1 wins for the season – the Winx Stakes, Turnbull Stakes, Caulfield Cup, Chipping Norton Stakes (now named the Verry Elleegant), Ranvet Stakes.

As a six-year-old she had two lead-up runs in Sydney to start the spring before a fourth in the Turnbull Stakes, a third in the Cox Plate (behind State Of Rest and Anamoe) before her glorious Melbourne Cup win over the favourite Incentivise as an $18 chance.

Aeliana suffered a slight setback to her spring campaign at the trials on Tuesday morning when she got a hind leg caught momentarily in the stalls and was a late scratching. If Aeliana's leg issue is nothing serious, Waller has a fall-back option to enter her for the Rosehill barrier trials on Friday.

In Aeliana's absence, the opening heat of the Warwick Farm trials session was won impressively by Ciaron Maher's very talented Gringotts (NZ) (Per Incanto) who accelerated clear to win by more than three lengths from Beiwacht and Campione D'Italia with both placegetters kept under a tight hold.

Gringotts, winner of the Big Dance-The Gong double in successive years and also a Group 1 George Ryder Stakes, ran the 1000m in 58.72 which is fast for a trial and shows he is right target for the Gr.1 Winx Stakes on 22 August. - Racing.com

Gerard pair please in opening trials

Romanoff (NZ) (Belardo) and Affirmative Action (Yes Yes Yes) gave trainer Pam Gerard a dream result when they quinellaed the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton last year, and the Matamata horsewoman is hoping they can have another successful spring preparation.

They both had their first public hit-out of the season at the Te Rapa trials on Tuesday where Affirmative Action comfortably won his 1100m heat, while Romanoff was strong late to finish runner-up behind Dusty Road in his heat over the same distance.

Gerard has been happy with the way Affirmative Action has been building into his spring preparation, with Tuesday’s trial a pleasing first-up outing as he heads towards next month’s Gr.1 Proisir Plate (1400m) at Ellerslie.

“He has come back bigger and more bullish, and mentally a little bit stronger,” Gerard said. “He had a pretty big season that probably caught up with him towards the end of the season, and he has had a nice spell, probably the first really good spell that he has had.

“I thought it was a nice trial from him today, he did it very easily. He is heading in the right direction.

“We will have a nom in for the Proisir Plate for Affirmative Action. We will just see how it comes up and ratings wise whether we are going to get in or not, I think it is going to be quite strong.

“We do have a Plan B where we can try and get his confidence back, but we will see how he pulls up over the next few days. It was pretty heavy out there today, so hopefully it hasn’t taken its toll too much.

“We will be targeting a few of the bigger races through the season and hopefully pick something up.”

Gerard was also pleased with what she saw from Romanoff and said he will be kept for the last two legs of the Spring Triple Crown at Hastings – the Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile (1600m) and Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m).

“He was out the back and running home, and I thought he did that well,” Gerard said. “I feel he is probably looking for a little more distance, he gave me the impression today that the further he goes the better he will get.

“He will have a nice 1400m lead-up race into the mile at Hastings. I think Hastings is the right sort of track for him back left-handed. That (mile) is more up his alley, I think they will be pretty quick at Auckland in the first one (Proisir Plate).”

Meanwhile, stablemate Papparazzi (NZ) (Savabeel) came from last to first to take out his 1100m heat on Tuesday, and Gerard believes the four-year-old son of Savabeel could be in for a nice preparation.

“He showed us a lot last year but couldn’t get it right on raceday,” Gerard said. “He was pretty babyish and hadn’t furnished.

“He has gone out and had a nice spell, and we rode him nice and quietly today, gave him his chance and asked him for a little bit of effort and he did it very easily.

“Hopefully this time when he goes to the races he can put it all together for the owners. We will kick him off over 1400m in the next two or three weeks, but it will be weather dependent.”

Gerard was also pleased with the debut trial of three-year-old filly Niccita (Nicconi), who finished third in her 900m heat.

“She is such a professional little filly,” Gerard said. “It was her first trial out there today and she went really nicely.

“Everything is effortless for her. She doesn’t give a lot away in her work, she is off the bridle, is very quiet and does what she has to. She showed a really good turn of foot in the last 50m and I was pretty happy with her.”

Gerard has won the last two editions of the New Zealand 2000 Guineas with Savaglee and Romanoff, and she said she may have a contender to make it a third.

“We have a nice gelding called Samurai Sword (NZ) (Satono Aladdin), which we scratched the other day from a wide draw,” she said. “Maybe keep an eye on him, I think he has got the ability to be there, the mile is really going to suit him.

“He is just quite not furnished there mentally yet but hopefully if we take him quietly we can get him to go in the right direction and hopefully get him down there." - Joshua Smith LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Pitmans eye home synthetic riches

Local trainers Michael and Matthew Pitman hold a strong hand heading into the middle day of the Grand National Festival of Racing at Riccarton, where they will be chasing the lucrative prizemoney on offer at the synthetic meeting.

At the top on their hit list is the Polytrack Championship (1200m) where they will be chasing the $75,000 purse on offer with Third Decree and Motiontime.

Third Decree (NZ) (War Decree) has finished runner-up in her last two starts at the track over the same distance, while Motiontime (Showtime) was victorious on the surface three starts back, and their trainers are hoping for similar showings on Wednesday.

“Third Decree has been very unlucky not to win any one of her last four starts,” Michael Pitman said. “By not winning she gets in reasonably well at the weights. She races well on the poly and we are very happy with her.

“Motiontime won really well (three starts back) and she has just been unlucky.”

Earlier on the card, they will also have a two-pronged attack in the Betavet Natural Solutions Open (2200m) courtesy of Proserve and Star Ballot.

While Proserve (NZ) (Proisir) has won his last two starts and Star Ballot (NZ) (Tarzino) has finished runner-up, Pitman believes the latter can avenge his last start defeat to his stablemate.

“I think Star Ballot was unlucky not to win his last start, but he hit the line really well,” Pitman said. “He drops significantly in weight for this one. Star Ballot meets Proserve three kilos better off, which I think will swing Star Ballot’s way.

“Both horses have got great records on the poly.”

Pitman is also upbeat about the prospects of Ogun (Alabama Express) in the Canterbury Equine Clinic Maiden (1200m), Voguish (NZ) (Staphanos) in the Hoteliers Challenge (1600m), and Our Sallyann (Shamus Award) in the 3F At West Fitzroy Apartments Maiden (1400m).

“Ogun was unlucky not to win the other day. He probably lost a length or two on the turn and ran home strongly,” Pitman said.

“Voguish is a horse we think will go right through to winning open class races. The mile is possibly short enough, but she has had three or four weeks between races.

“And Our Sallyann is due a winning run, she has run a lot of placings this time in.”

Meanwhile, Pitman said track conditions hindered stable newcomer Canheroc’s chances when he beat just three runners home in the Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) last Saturday.

“He struggled in the track conditions, the track got quite puggy,” Pitman said. “We are not running him on the last day because of that, we are just going to wait for the tracks to dry up a bit.” - Joshua Smith LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

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