Seven-year-old star sprinter Mr. Brightside is looking to get his first win of the season this Saturday in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m).
The $750,000 race at Flemington is familiar territory for the thoroughbred. Mr. Brightside won the race convincingly last year.
Mr. Brightside is one of the betting sites favourites to win again at Flemington in 2024. His trainers, Ben, Will and JD Hayes of the Lindsay Park stable, think Mr. Brightside will deliver and get the win this Saturday.
Mr. Brightside started the 2023 horse racing season with impressive wins in the Group 2 P.B.Lawrence Stakes, Group 1 Memsie Stakes, and the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes. This was just the beginning of a truly great season for Mr. Brightside. He finished first or second in all but two of his 11 races last season.
His trainers opted to start a little slower this season. Mr. Brightside did not take part in the P.B.Lawrence Stakes.
Instead, he started his spring campaign in the Memsie Stakes, which he finished second in, just behind Pinstriped.
Despite the runner-up finish in his 2024/25 debut, Ben, Will and JD Hayes and the entire Lindsay Park stable team are confident of Mr. Brightside’s chances in other Group 1 races this spring.
Ben Hayes said Mr. Brightside came through his first race of the season excellently.
“He’s right on track to head back to Flemington,” Hayes added.
“He went into the race first-up not quite ready to go. He’s got natural improvement out of the race, and we have noticed that he has tightened up since the run.
“As we have seen in every other prep, he has improved in his prep, and we expect that to be the same again on Saturday.
“I’m very confident about Mr B’s chances,” Hayes said.
Eight horses will race in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington this Saturday. Of those eight, there are really four genuine contenders: Via Sistina ($2.15), Mr. Brightside ($3.80), Pride Of Jenni ($6.50), and Pinstriped ($7.50).
These horses are four of the best Australia has to offer. They are also familiar foes. Mr. Brightside beat Pinstriped in the P.B.Lawrence Stakes last season. Just two weeks ago, Pinstriped won the Memsie Stakes by half a length.
Mr. Brightside vs. Pinstriped is the matchup we will be watching closely at the Makybe Diva Stakes given their recent run together.
Via Sistina is the favourite for a reason though. The Chris Waller-trained mare is definitely the horse to beat on Saturday.
