Mr Brightside in elite company

Mr Brightside elevated himself into elite company when he scored his first Group 1 weight-for-age success amid chaotic scenes at Caulfield on Saturday.

Seemingly every one of Mr Brightside’s many dozen owners were in attendance for the gelding’s rise to being a G1 weight-for-age star and they let the crowd know what the victory in the $1 million meant by breaking into spontaneous and rowdy celebrations.

His trainers were well into the celebrations themselves to mark a memorable victory for the new three-man team at Lindsay Park.

“I think we’re all pinching ourselves,” Ben Hayes said. “Will’s had his first Group 1 win, which is amazing, the whole team got a big buzz out of it,”

Mr Brightside had won the G1 Doncaster Handicap twice and is an All-Star Mile winner, but a G1 weight-for-age victory had eluded him until the Memsie.

Will Hayes paid tribute to his brothers Ben and JD. “I’m so indebted to my brothers and my family for giving me the opportunity to pursue my dream at AFL level, but it’s a blessing now that they (Carlton) gave me the tap on the shoulder because it’s pretty unbelievable.”

Mr Brightside ($2.70 fav) endured a wide run but was too strong for his rivals, eventually enjoying a long neck win over Princess Grace ($6.50), who just nosed out I Wish I Win ($4.60) for second.

Mr Brightside will now progress to the G1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington in two weeks.

Jockey Craig Williams said he wasn’t worried when caught wide from the extreme outside barrier.

“I went out and walked the track before that race and I felt it’s not going to be a disadvantage to him if he sits wider rather than having the rail,” he said.

“He’s going to be the best miler in Australia and if the Hayes boys want to go somewhere else with him this horse won’t disappoint because he’s a competitive horse.

“They’ve got a good handle on him and I’d be happy to put my red saddle on him wherever he runs.”

Will, Ben and JD Hayes celebrate Mr Brightside’s win in the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield. (Image: Racing Photos)

Peter Moody said he was thrilled with the return of I Wish I Win, who loomed to win inside the 200 metres.

“He’s run super,” Moody said. “He just peaked on it the last little bit. Couldn’t be more pleased without winning.

“He’s run enormous. He came out and had the race won, but just peaked on it the last 80 to 100 metres. The two in front of him had a run under their belt and are very good horses.”

Charlie Duckworth said the team were thrilled with the runner-up performance of the imported mare Princess Grace.

“I think we’ve seen that where Blake (Shinn) had to make his run was probably a bit inferior ground, but we’ve been beaten by arguably the best horse in the country at the moment, so she’s lost nothing in defeat,” Waller’s right-hand man said.

“All her runs in the (US) States were over the mile or 1800 metres so, ultimately, whilst she’s still sharp enough for 1400 metres, but the fact she can go to the mile and possibly beyond means there’s a stack of options for her.

“The key objective of buying her was getting her to win a Group 1 here and you’d be pretty gutted if she doesn’t win one in the next year.”

As for Osipenko, who finished seventh, he said: “I thought he was probably a touch plain, he was probably looking for the mile already. I think there was merit to the run by he’ll certainly improve over further.”

Mick Price announced straight after the race that Annavisto (13th at $19) had run her last race and will be served by stallion Toronado in the coming weeks.

He said Amenable (fifth at $31) would progress to a race like the G1 Toorak Handicap if he can manage to gain a start. “He slipped at the start and was back to last but he moved through them to finish fifth. Looking forward to getting him to a mile.”

Late replacement rider for Alligator Blood was Damien Oliver, who said the horse turned in a pleasing run after the horse tired late to finish fourth.