Mr Brightside (NZ) Breathtaking in Feehan Stakes

Karaka graduates finished first and second in Saturday’s A$500,000 Group Two Clamms Seafood Feehan Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley, but Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) made the race a one-act affair. 

The five-year-old powered to victory by four and a half lengths, the biggest margin in the Feehan for more than 20 years, and improved his career record to 15 starts for nine wins, two placings and A$2.95m in stakes. He cost a mere $22,000 from the 2019 Karaka May Sale, then was offered at the Ready to Run Sale later that year.

The Feehan Stakes was the second start in a new campaign for Mr Brightside, who resumed with a comfortable win in the Group Two PB Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 13. He upped the ante at Moonee Valley on Saturday, outclassing a small but high-class field with a spectacular performance.

Ridden by Craig Williams for Lindsay Park trainers Ben and JD Hayes, Mr Brightside trailed the front-running Earlswood (Pivotal) before moving up to eyeball him with 600 metres remaining.

But that was only the beginning of Mr Brightside’s run, as he continued to lengthen stride and accelerate coming up to the home turn. He was off and gone by the top of Moonee Valley’s short straight, striding clear for an emphatic and effortless Group Two win.

“He had the run under his belt leading into this, he’s done nothing but please the stable, he’s come back a weight-for-age horse and he’d previously won at The Valley, so he ticked a lot of boxes for today’s race,” Williams said. “But the sheer performance that he gave me today, and the feeling that he gave me, shows he’s on target for whatever the boys choose to do with him.

“Winning a race like the Doncaster, a pinnacle of handicaps around Australia, year after year these horses have made the next step to weight-for-age, where there’s nowhere to hide. There is no handicap, and they’re on their weight due to their age and their sex, and you have to make that next step. You can see that he clearly has.

“You could see his mannerisms in the gates, he’s getting better every time and he’s just doing so many things right, but then his performance just shows the calibre of horse that he is. The impressive part is there’s still more to come for this preparation.

“They’ve got a couple of options from here, they are lovely options to have, and I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”

Mr Brightside now boasts four stakes wins among his nine career victories, headed by last season’s Group One Doncaster Handicap (1600m) at Randwick. But there could be even bigger and better things to come.

“That’s the best win he’s done to date,” Ben Hayes said. “He’s only going to improve with the run. As we know, the further he gets into the preparation, the better he gets. He’ll put his hand up for the Cox Plate (2040m).

“He was strong through the line there and he hit the line and didn’t stop. He beat a good field very easily and I think the sky’s the limit.”

Saturday’s runner-up was Inspirational Girl (NZ) (Reliable Man), who was a $190,000 purchase from Karaka 2017. Her 18-start career has produced 10 wins, four placings and A$1.53m in stakes.

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