Some of Australia’s best gallopers lined up at Flemington for the Group 1 Champions Mile (1600m) on Saturday. Mr Brightside bested them all.
The seven-year-old star lived up to the pre-race betting sites expectations and delivered a sterling run, beating out Tony Gollan’s Antino by a little under half a length.
Unfortunately, the race favourite Pride Of Jenni was retired after the race after suffering a bleed during the $3 million spectacle.
Mr Brightside, Craig Williams win Champions Mile at Flemington
Mr Brightside won the Group 1 Champions Mile by half a length
Highlights
- Mr Brightside had $5 odds to win the Champions Mile.
- Favourite Pride Of Jenni entered with $4.80 chances.
- Mr Brightside wore blinkers for the first time in his career.
- Mr Brightside won by half a length to Antino.
“Special horse” wins big race
Mr Brightside’s big win on Saturday was the eighth Group 1 victory in his career. After the race, one of his trainers from the team at Lindsay Park, Ben Hayes, looked back on the gelding’s accomplishments so far.
“He’s such a special horse to us,” Ben Hayes said.
“I was hoping he could get that gap, and he got it, and he was so strong through the line.”
Will Hayes, also of the Lindsay team, called Mr Brightside the training firm’s star.
“He really is our flag bearer,” Will Hayes said, “We owe this horse everything. He started our momentum as a stable and really generated a lot of hype for us and the way he raced today, it was heart-in-your- mouth stuff.”
“Craig rode him terrifically,” Hayes added.
The Craig he was talking about, jockey Craig Williams, echoed Lindsay Park’s sentiment about Mr Brightside.
“The grand final was the Cox Plate,” Williams said.
“He ran fourth but ran a phenomenal race. They’ve come here today for the Champions Mile, with all these horses, they’ve gone for blinkers for the first time and he was the right product today,” he added.
Blinkers pay off
One of the biggest storylines heading into the Champions Mile that our horse racing betting experts were watching was that Lindsay Park had decided to use blinkers on Mr Brightside for this race.
The gelding had never worn blinkers in his career before Saturday. It was a risky move to make in a $3 million race like the Champions Mile.
Will Hayes even admitted it was a gamble, saying “We took a risk and put the blinkers on.”
As it turns out, the risk was one undoubtedly worth taking.
Rival retired
As joyous of a day as it was for Mr Brightside, Craig Williams, and the Lindsay Park team, it was a bit of a bittersweet one for Australian racing.
Trainer Ciaron Maher announced after the race that 2023/24 Australian Racehorse of the Year Pride Of Jenni will retire from racing.
The three-time Group 1 winner suffered a bleed during the race and was unable to finish competitively.
Pride Of Jenni will now enjoy life as a retired horse at Tony Ottobre’s stable, where she will be potentially bred with the owners’ top stallion Equinox.
More Horse Racing News
Hemlock Stone pulls off shocking Perth Cup upset at Ascot
Hemlock Stone was a surprise winner on Wednesday in the Group 2 Perth Cup at Ascot. The Grant and Alana Williams-trained gelding finished first, despite having just $61 odds to win from the horse racing betting sites.
Maher enters Interpretation in Bagot Handicap ahead of New Zealand trip
Ciaron Maher’s Interpretation is set to race in this Wednesday’s Listed Bagot Handicap at Flemington. The race will be one of the final bits of preparation before the seven year old heads to New Zealand for a pair of 3200m races.
Time To Boogie trainer weighing Canterbury Sprint against Randwick race
Michael Freedman says he is debating whether to enter his five-year-old Time To Boogie in this Wednesday’s Listed Canterbury Sprint. The gelding could instead run in another benchmark race on Saturday, should he not race on Wednesday.
Field Of Play wins first race in Drummond Golf Handicap at Moonee Valley
Field Of Play has won his first ever race as a winner. The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained two-year-old gelding finished three- and a quarter lengths ahead of Tom in the Drummond Golf Handicap at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Gollan talks up return for Hi Barbie after BJ McLachlan Stakes scare
Tony Gollan’s Hi Barbie finished 13th in the Group 3 BJ McLachlan Stakes and was diagnosed with a cardiac arrhythmia after the race. The trainer says she is 50/50 to return now and could run in next month’s Magic Millions.
Here To Shock delivers quinella to Lindsay Park team in The Supernova
The Lindsay Park training team of Ben, J.D. and Will Hayes celebrated a stable quinella after Saturday’s The Supernova at Pakenham where their gelding Here To Shock finished first, while Arkansaw Kid ended the race as runner-up.
I am an avid horse racing enthusiast and punter. Growing up in Randwick, I have been surrounded by racing through stories from the elderly’s past endeavours to the racecourse and owners that are friends of the family. I am also a data-scientist and am fascinated and intrigued by the algorithmic approach to form. I’ve has become more involved with racing over the past few years due to simultaneously delving deeper into the sport and learning how to apply a data driven approach to punting. Beyond Racing, I am an avid NRL fan and MMA fan, the latter of which I have largely applied the same philosophy of methodical, data driven punting towards and found solid success in the MMA space and I continue to track and improve my strategies.