Will Hayes has no regrets about dodging the Cox Plate with Mr Brightside, despite the prospect of a moderately-run affair in Saturday’s weight-for-age championship which has attracted a field of only eight runners.
Lindsay Park’s pin-up horse has tackled the last three editions of the Cox Plate, including a narrow defeat to Romantic Warrior in 2023.
But at the start of this campaign, connections flagged their intention to restrict the gelding to races over 1400m and 1600m – he won the G1 Makybe Diva Stakes over 1600m last month and was runner-up in both the G1 Memsie Stakes and last week’s G1 King Charles III Stakes.
Mr Brightside has returned to Euroa and Hayes confirmed that the G1 Champions Mile will be the eight-year-old’s next run.
“Those thoughts (what if we aimed at the Cox Plate) certainly do creep in but I certainly haven’t forgot what Via Sistina did last year,” Hayes said.
“It wouldn’t shock me that, even if she only rocks up and runs to 85% of her best, they won’t get near her and neither would we.
“What she did in the race last year was just next level.”
“That run that she had last start may have been a little plain to the eye but the form out of it (Turnbull) has been good with the Caulfield Cup winner and you’d think she’s going to be exactly where they need her to be to win another Cox Plate.”
“We’re comfortable with our decision to stick to the mile.”
Mr Brightside will get his chance to add an 11th Group 1 win to his CV in the $3 million Champions Mile at Flemington in two weeks and Hayes said he is showing all the right signs at Euroa that he will be hard to beat in the race he won last spring.
“We got him back to the farm and we sent out a video to connections of him in a day paddock going off his head,” he said.
“We’re very pleased with how he’s come through the run in Sydney.”
“It’s definitely all systems go towards the Champions Mile.”
