It was a tougher first-up that had been hoped for, but star galloper Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) appears to have come through his rousing win in the Gr.1 C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield unscathed on Sunday morning.
Co-trainer Ben Hayes said on Sunday that Mr Brightside’s effort to come off the canvas and run down dual Group 1 winner Pride Of Jenni took an immediate toll, but said he was confident the run would not upset the autumn plans for his five-time Gr.1 winner of nearly $12 million in stakes.
“He was a bit tired this morning, but overall, we were happy,” Hayes said. “It was heart in your mouth stuff watching it, but he got his head down this time.
“If he pulls up well, we’ll head in that direction towards the Futurity (Stakes).
“It was a very hard first-up run. It depends on him, but we’ll watch the horse and see how he is.
“He generally just gets better into a prep, which he has every prep, so I don’t think we’ll be too worried.”
Mr Brightside finished a luckless fifth in his sole New Zealand start at Matamata for Ralph Manning, having previously won a trial. He was subsequently sold privately to clients of the Hayes stable via Australian agent Wayne Ormond and has now won 15 of his 30 starts.
Mr Brightside is the firm favourite for the A$4 million All-Star Mile at Caulfield on March 16 at $3.50 after his Orr heroics.
