Mr Brightside has first jumpout

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."

Meanwhile Chris Waller's outstanding mare Aeliana (NZ) (Castlevecchio) was a late scratching from a crucial barrier trial at Warwick Farm on Tuesday.

Aeliana had been loaded into the barriers when she got a hind leg caught momentarily in the stalls.

Understandably, no risks were taken with the three-time Group One winner and she was withdrawn from her 1000m heat. 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.