Doncaster Double for Mr Brightside (NZ)

Superstar Karaka graduate Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) stole the spotlight again on Saturday’s opening day of The Championships at Randwick, earning himself a special place in the history of the A$4m Group One The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m).

Bought for just $22,000 from the 2019 Karaka May Sale, Mr Brightside became the eighth horse to score back-to-back wins in the time-honoured Doncaster, which has been run since 1866. Mr Brightside’s 23-start career has now produced 11 wins, four placings and a whopping A$8.24m in stakes.

Mr Brightside scored his first Group One win in last year’s Doncaster, coming in at the minimum weight and showing Australasian racing what he was capable of. It was a tougher task on Saturday when he returned to defend his crown – a feat not achieved since fellow Karaka graduate Sacred Falls (NZ) (O’Reilly) in 2013 and 2014.

This time he had to carry the second highest weight in the field with 55.5 kilograms, and he was giving plenty of weight to a big group of talented rivals who came in on the minimum. But in the end it made no difference to the result.

Mr Brightside raced in midfield before Hong Kong-based jockey Zac Purton drove him to the lead soon after rounding the home turn. Challengers fanned out across the track to try to run him down, but Mr Brightside responded to everything that was thrown at him. He refused to let anyone pass, and when he reached the finish line, he remained in front by a head.

“It’s not easy to win one Doncaster, and it’s very hard to win two – especially on testing ground like this,” Purton said.

“As soon as I come into the straight, I was traveling really well. When I gave him a squeeze, he got there too quick and I had to idle him down a little bit again. He was labouring in the ground, but he’s so honest and his class got him through.”

Mr Brightside is trained by Ben and JD Hayes, who have scaled incredible heights with their stable star in the short period of time since they took over the family’s renowned Lindsay Park operation.

“What this horse did to win this race last year and then go back-to-back, it puts him in rare air,” JD Hayes said. “He’s a very special horse. We’ve known that all along, but now he’s a very special horse in his own right, doing something like that. We couldn’t be happier.”

Along with his back-to-back Doncaster triumphs, Mr Brightside also gave the stable a A$5m All-Star Mile (1600m) triumph at Moonee Valley last month. He has won another three black-type races, along with two further placings at Group One level.

“He sure has been a special horse, and we’ll never forget him,” Ben Hayes said. “But he’s still got so much to go, which is exciting. He’s only turning six.”

Vendor	Phoenix Park
Purchaser	Phill Cataldo Bloodstock (Waikato)
Breeding	Bullbars – Lilahjay
Sale	Lot 159, 2019 Karaka May Sale, $22,000Lot 39, 2019 Ready to Run Sale, Psd (Res $50,000)
Bred by	R I & Est Late M A G Johnson