Mr Brightside set for spring
Champion miler Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) has recovered well from minor surgery and will return to racing in the spring.
Following a 2025 spring campaign that concluded with a fifth-placed finish in the Gr.1 Champions Mile at Flemington in November, Lindsay Park announced its stable star would be sidelined for the autumn, as he required minor surgery to remove a very small chip in his left-fore fetlock.
Co-trainer JD Hayes on Monday said Mr Brightside’s rehabilitation program has been a success.
“He’s in good order, the champ, and he’s about to start pre-season,” Hayes told Racing.com.
“He’s recovered beautifully from surgery and enjoyed a very quiet autumn.
“We can’t fault him and he’s about to embark on his spring preparation.
“He’s got a fair amount of weight on him as he’s been in a nice, green paddock.”
Now eight, Mr Brightside has mixed it with Australia’s best since the spring of 2021. During this period, the gelded son of Bullbars has competed in 31 Group 1s, winning 10.
Given his busy schedule, Hayes said an enforced break may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
“He hasn’t missed any dances for the last four years, so he’s enjoyed a bit of time off,” said Hayes.
“He’s had 48 starts… when you go through his record, it’s quite phenomenal; he’s only finished worse than fifth once in his life and that was over in Hong Kong.
“He’s been a model of consistency.
“It will be easy to tell if he’s no longer interested in being a racehorse, but his tenacity and the way that he’s working, he’s as genuine as the day is long, and we’re expecting another good spring from the champ.
“Although he’s rising nine, he didn’t really start racing until he was four, so we think he’s still got a fair bit of life left in him.”
Mr Brightside is pencilled in to resume racing in the Gr.1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 29.
“We’re a long way away from his first-up target, which will be the Memsie,” Hayes explained.
“Because he’s so effective at this weight-for-age mile races, his program is pretty-much set in stone. We can change tack if we need to, but he’ll be running in all those traditional races, the ones he’s competed in for the last four years.”
Mr Brightside’s spring Group One wins include the 2023 Memsie Stakes; the 2023, 2024 and 2025 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m); and the 2024 Champions Mile (1600m).
