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Mr Brightside caps off a huge day for Lindsay Park with historic Makybe Diva victory
By Trevor Marshallsea
ANZ News Journalist
Mr Brightside (Bullbars) enhanced his reputation as a people’s horse when he benefitted from a Craig Williams riding lesson to secure a tenth elite-level success in Saturday’s Makybe Diva Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m).
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Williams gave his five rival jockeys a clinic in the Flemington feature, being allowed to set a crawling pace on the eight-year-old Mr Brightside, who was sent out an easing $5 equal second elect behind the raging $1.80 favourite Via Sistina (Fastnet Rock) and James McDonald.
Mr Brightside flopped into the lead from the start and cruised a length or more in front from the 1400m to the 600m with sectionals of 12.82 seconds, 13.01, 12.94 and 12.22. Tom Kitten (Harry Angel) was one rival unhappy with the pace, pulling for his head in stages near the back of the pack, yet none of the chasing jockeys opted to put pressure on the leader.
The 48-year-old Williams let Mr Brightside go entering the straight and, full of running and with his rivals powerless to catch him, he dashed away to a three-length lead by the 200 metres, and ultimately scored by 1.5 lengths.
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ATC Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Aeliana (Castelvecchio), also at $5, performed solidly second-up to take second, with Via Sistina 0.4 lengths further back in third.
While questions were asked of rival jockeys, Ben, JD and Will Hayes could once again toast the most special horse of their time so far in charge of Lindsay Park as Mr Brightside extended his remarkable record.
Bought from Phoenix Park’s draft by Phill Cataldo Bloodstock at the Karaka May Sale of 2019 for just $22,000, Mr Brightside has now earned $17.97 million.
He’s one of three stakes winners, and the only one west of the Tasman, from 109 runners for Bullbars (Elusive Quality) - who moved from New Zealand to South Australia in 2020, covered less than 20 mares in each of three seasons, and disappeared from the stud book after 2022, when just 15.
Mr Brightside’s unraced dam Lilahjay (Tavistock) has produced just the one stakes winner from six foals to race, though to be fair all of them have been winners, with two others scoring in metro class.
Despite these humble pedigree notes, Mr Brightside has - as an emotional Williams noted - earned a place in the hearts of a legion of racing fans, enhanced with his third successive Makybe Diva Stakes success on Saturday.
He became the first male horse to win three successive editions of a Flemington Group 1, following four females. Makybe Diva (Desert King) herself of course won three Melbourne Cups (Gr 1, 3200m), Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) took three straight runnings of the Lightning Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m), and - before the modern pattern system - Tranquil Star (Gay Lothario) and Wakeful (Trenton) each raised a Mackinnon Stakes hat-trick.
"This horse, he just carries so many racing fans and people,” Williams told Racing.com of the gelding named after the hit song by The Killers.
“If you love the song, you've got him as well. He's just really captivated people around Australia.
“He's the best, or one of the best milers in Australia on his day. He's the best on his day and one of the best when he's not. He's just a marvel.
"I'm very blessed, very privileged to be a part of this horse, a part of his development which gives me great pride.
“The Hayes boys, I rode for their father, their uncle, their grandfather and what they're doing with these equine stars is amazing.”
Ben Hayes paid tribute to Williams - and of course to Mr Brightside, now a 20-time winner from 46 starts.
He cheekily called the durable gelding “technically” an 11-time Group 1 winner, having also taken Melbourne’s All-Star Mile (1600m) in 2023, two years before it achieved top-tier status, while also highlighting the horse’s 11 Group 1 placings.
“It turned out beautifully. It was a ten-out-of-ten ride,” Hayes said. “Tactically, he got an easy time early and because he got an easy time, they couldn't catch him, a champion like him.
“To win three Makybe Divas and make it ten Group 1s, he's an amazing horse and we're so lucky to have him."
"We thought he had gone the right way. He paraded beautifully, it was typical Mr B. His coat has come on, but the good thing is, he's got improvement to come and we're going to have fun placing him at his next couple of starts.
“I'm so proud of him and for him to come back and win, to show how good he is, makes us so proud. For JD and Will and I, he's the most special horse we've ever had.
“He’s an absolute champion, no one can deny that now and maybe people will start respecting him, and tipping him."
Hayes said a second bid for a Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) - in which Mr Brightside ran a 0.1-length second to the great Romantic Warrior (Acclamation) in 2023 - was not out of the question.
But he indicated 1600-metre races would be more suitable. This could include the Feehan Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) at Moonee Valley on September 26, or Randwick’s King Charles III Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) on October 18.
“He's so good over a mile,” Hayes said. “[The Cox Plate] is still an option and I'll have to talk to my brothers, and do what we believe is the best result for him.
“We'll definitely consider it [the Feehan]. That's probably the logical race, if not he might have a trial and go to the King Charles III."
Mr Brightside’s win also capped a huge day for the stable, which also took the Bobbie Lewis Quality (Gr 2, 1200m) with Arkansaw Kid (Harry Angel) and the Tontonan Stakes (Listed, 1400m) with Cafe Millenium (Not A Single Doubt).
Jockey Damian Lane said Star Thoroughbreds’ Aeliana had run “super”.
“Travelled up great, just outsprinted by Mr Brightside, who obviously had it very easy and sprinted too sharp,” Lane said.
McDonald said of Via Sistina: “Very good run. Sit and sprint, she dashed well.”
Lilahjay died last year, aged 12. Her last foal is a yearling colt by Satono Aladdin (Deep Impact).
Tempted adds to Godolphin’s impressive Run To The Rose record
Flying filly Tempted (Street Boss) showed her rare class with a dominant victory over a field of males in Saturday’s Run To The Rose (Gr 2, 1200m) at Rosehill, extending Godolphin’s extraordinary record in the race and also put herself in calculations for The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m).
Despite being the only female among the dozen three-year-olds competing, the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) third placegetter was backed strongly from $5 into $3.90 favouritism and performed accordingly.
Jumping from gate five, Ethan Brown settled Tempted in midfield behind a group of five as second elect Raging Force (Cosmic Force) set a solid pace.
Godolphin’s second runner Beiwacht (Bivouac) made a concerted run to take the lead at the 200m, but Tempted swept home down the outside to beat the Chris Waller-trained colt by 1.55 lengths, with Skyhook (Written Tycoon) surging home for third.
Tempted may be prepared by Ciaron Maher these days after Godolphin’s switch to public trainers, but the song remained the same in terms of the royal blue army’s domination of the Run To The Rose.
Celebrating their quinella, Godolphin have now won the last five runnings of the race, and six of the past seven thanks to James Cummings-trained runners Bivouac (Exceed And Excel) in 2019, and Anamoe (Street Boss), In Secret (I Am Invincible), Cylinder (Exceed And Excel) and Traffic Warden (Street Boss) from 2021-24.
Bookmakers responded by making Tempted a $3.50 favourite for the main event - the Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) on September 27 - which hasn’t been won by a filly since the outstanding Forensics (Flying Spur) in 2008 - the only filly to win it since 2001.
Tempted was also shortened into $15 for The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) on October 18. In a market dominated by $1.70 shot Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress), Tempted is Godolphin’s shortest-priced runner and could be set to fill their slot.
Maher noted three-year-olds had a strong record in the $20 million weight-for-age sprint, with two winners in its eight runnings, and with his own colt Growing Empire (Zoustar) running third last year.
Should Tempted line up in the Randwick feature, she would aim to become the second female winner of the race, with Maher’s former stable star Bella Nipotina having won the Group 1 last year.
And while conceding the two winners had been males in Yes Yes Yes (Rubick) and Giga Kick (Scissor Kick), Maher said Tempted had the quality to suggest she wouldn’t be out of place in the race.
“It probably wouldn’t be beyond her,” he told Sky Thoroughbred Central. “Three-year-olds have a good [Everest] record. I know the fillies probably haven’t done as well as the colts, but she might be one out of the box.
“It’s just great to be able to have those conversations. They [Godolphin] are a great team. I’ve only been dealing with them a short time, but they’ll make the right call.”
For the nearer term, a different chance at improving recent history seems likely to await with another crack at the three-year-old males in the Golden Rose, which - despite its reputation and importance as a stallion-maker - is still “only” worth $1 million in these times of dizzying NSW prize-money.
“I’ll have a chat to the team,” Maher said. “She could go a number of different ways, but given how she put them away today, it’d be very attractive.”
Maher said he’d been confident of Tempted’s chances in the Run To The Rose as she set out to follow a two-year-old season of three wins - two at Group 2 level - from six starts, plus her superb Slipper third and an unlucky seventh in the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
“She’s ultimately just very impressive,” Maher said of Tempted, who went into Saturday’s race off only one barrier trial.
“She was obviously a crack two-year-old, and she developed the right way with the Godolphin team.
“She’s a very, very high class filly.
“You can see she doesn’t carry a huge amount of weight. She couldn’t have been more impressive in her trial on a track that was rain affected at Randwick.
“You can see her coat’s just coming on. She’s a lovely filly and I’m thrilled.
“I said to Browny this morning when he was on the way to the races, ‘You enjoy this one old son’.”
Brown was equally dazzled with how Tempted scorched past the leaders on a track that had favoured front-runner on the inside.
“When I looked up at the top of the straight, knowing how the track was playing, I thought she’d have to be really good to pick these up - and she was.” Brown said. “She really impressed me.
“The race set up well for us, but the track has been quite on-speed, so all credit to her.”
Brown said Tempted had answered “the main question” of whether she would measure up to her juvenile season.
“Looking at her last trial you were always confident she was going to,” he said. “She’s done it on raceday now, so onwards and upwards for her.”
Tempted has enhanced a rich Godolphin/Darley family. She’s the fourth foal among five for Calliope (Exceed And Excel), who’s also the dam of quadruple stakes winning sprinter Kallos (Medaglia D’Oro).
Calliope herself was a dual black-type winner in a career cut short to just four outings, taking the Gimcrack Stakes (Listed, 1000m) and the Magic Night Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) in 2015-16.
Her latest foal, Zambales (Pinatubo) is a two-year-old in work with Anthony and Sam Freedman, while she was covered by Darley’s Anamoe (Street Boss) last spring.
Tempted became the second stakes winner of the new Australian season for Street Boss (Street Cry), and the 12th winner from 49 runners this term for the 22-year-old, who’s standing at Darley’s Northwood farm in Victoria this season for an unchanged $66,000 (inc GST).
Beiwacht performed strongly at $7.50 in his second run for Waller, continuing on from a first-up third in the San Domenico Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m).
Skyhook, at $5.50, finished well after being blocked for a run in the first half of the straight.
Wootton Bassett’s Group 1 placegetters Wodeton and State Visit made solid ground to run fourth and fifth, while Raging Force - chasing a fifth straight win after being a revelation of the winter - weakened into seventh.
Legacy Coolmore Stud Stakes bound after Flemington victory
Exciting gelding Legacy Bound (Ole Kirk) showed he belonged in the top echelon of Australia’s three-year-olds and brought up a first black-type success of 2025-26 for last term’s champion first season sire Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon) with a stirring victory in Saturday’s Poseidon Stakes (Listed, 1100m).
Ahead of Legacy Bound’s resumption following 1200-metre wins in his first two starts at Ballarat and in stakes grade in Adelaide, trainer Robbie Griffiths told ANZ News he had one reservation: how the inexperienced Vinery Stud homebred would adapt to his first try up the Flemington straight.
But Legacy Bound handled the often tricky initiation like a veteran, although he ultimately needed all his reserves of courage to score by 0.02 lengths.
Sent out on the fourth line of betting at $6, and jumping from gate three of eight for Mark Zahra, the hulking Legacy Bound was fast away but took an early sit on the inside just off a comfortable pace.
Just as Legacy Bound took the front-running from Shining Smile (Spirit Of Boom) at the 150m, favourite Tycoon Star (Written Tycoon) and $26 bolter Navy Pilot (I Am Invincible) also grabbed a share of the lead on the outside.
While the disappointing Tycoon Star fell away to run third at $2.30, Legacy Bound had to dig deep to repel the challenge of Navy Pilot, but prevailed on the bob of the head.
After winning Morphettville’s Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) on the gelding at his previous start in April, Zahra had compared him to the colt he’d ridden to victory in the previous year’s runner, Growing Empire (Zoustar), who’s now covering his first book at Yulong Stud.
Legacy Bound will now likely follow a similar path to that taken by Growing Empire 12 months ago, with hopes high from the stable he can do better than that colt’s third in the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Flemington on Derby Day.
“I was really cautious today as I said pre-race, he'd never been down the straight, and the key runners had had two runs [this time in] each,” Griffiths told Racing.com.
“Ironically, the two first-up horses ran one-two, but he [Legacy Bound] is a good horse.
“He's got room to improve and it gives us a lot of excitement now going into the Danehill Stakes in three weeks, and then the Coolmore.
"One thing about him, he's not the bravest - he likes to follow a mate. He had to have a mate in the pony here today. So when he is in front, he doesn't exert any energy. He's sort of too busy having a look around, so I think that's a real plus for him.
“I'm rapt about today, but I'm looking forward to the Danehill next because now he's had that straight track experience, it's going to help him.”
Griffiths said he had opted to concentrate on sprints with Legacy Bound as a campaign towards the Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) would likely have entailed racing on wet tracks in Sydney through a Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) path.
“He hates the wet and he won't prepare well on it,” he said. “So, trying to prepare him for the Guineas when the tracks are wet in Sydney, you'd have to run in the Run To The Rose, interstate trip, possibly a wet track like a soft seven today, and go into it third-up.
“So, we thought he's a big horse, he hasn't fully matured. We'll keep it simple, run him in the sprints, and we can stretch him in the autumn."
Zahra was glowing in his praise of Legacy Bound, who was wound in to become an $8 equal-second favourite for the Coolmore.
"He's got a good will to win,” he said. “He's a horse you have to ride very smooth because of his wind. It just worked out nicely. We had to quicken up inside the 400 when they sprinted. It was a fight late but he was up for it and it was a good win.
“He's come on, he'll improve a lot for this run today. It's a handy field he beat today and most of them had runs under their belt so for first-up he's done a good job.”
The fourth - and best - foal of another Vinery homebred in the maiden-winning Sanaya (More Than Ready), Legacy Bound was entered for last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale but was withdrawn when complications arose. Vinery then made him the first horse they’d sent to Cranbourne-based Griffiths.
Legacy Bound’s second dam Astrodame (Flying Spur) won Moonee Valley’s Stocks Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) alongside six Group placings. And the gelding’s fourth dam was the outstanding Midnight Fever (Luskin Star), winner of the 1987 Blue Diamond, three Group 2s, two Group 3s and a Listed.
Sanaya now has a yearling sister to Legacy Bound, and earlier this month produced a filly by fellow Vinery Stud stallion Exceedance (Exceed And Excel).
Ole Kirk took the debutant sires’ title in a season that brought him four stakes winners from just 32 runners at a clip of 12.5 per cent, which prompted Vinery to make him their top-ranked stallion with a fee rise to $99,000 (inc GST).
Legacy Bound’s Poseidon win gave him seven winners from 20 runners this season, and made him the first second-season sire with a stakes winner for the new term.
The Ciaron Maher-trained Navy Pilot was highly impressive, in his first start since running seventh in Eagle Farm’s JJ Atkins (Gr 1, 1600m) in June.
Caulfield Stakes on the table for impressive Vinrock
Burgeoning star Vinrock (I Am Invincible) brought trainer Matt Laurie compensation for a blow to his headline act Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express) and put forward his Caulfield Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) claims with an imposing second-up stakes win Saturday.
A hero of the autumn through his first three unbeaten starts including the double of the VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) and ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), Vinrock had looked disappointing first-up this campaign when fourth as favourite in Caulfield’s McNeil Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m).
But rising 200 metres in Flemington’s Exford Plate (Listed, 1400m), and with punters staying firm by backing him into $2.80 favouritism, Vinrock looked back to his best in scoring his first win for Yulong since they purchased him after the autumn.
Jumping from the widest gate of 11 for Mark Zahra, the three-year-old colt crossed easily and parked menacingly outside the leader Wise Inlaw (Wootton Bassett) under an even tempo. While Wise Inlaw battled hard, Vinrock showed his class by taking over at the 150 metres, and strode away to a 1.75-length win.
West Of Swindon (Wootton Bassett) finished strongly for second at $8.50 ahead of $6.50 shot Wise Inlaw, with that pair providing their Coolmore sire with still two more stakes placings as his wait for his first Australian-born black type winner continued.
Laurie had sobering news during the week in the wake of Treasurethe Moment’s slashing first-up win in the Memsie Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), with the four-year-old suffering a mild bout of colic which put her out of Saturday’s Makybe Diva Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m).
The picture brightened a couple of days later, with Laurie announcing the mare would be on target to run second-up in the Feehan Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) at Moonee Valley on September 26.
Should she line up in the Group 2, the mare will need a new pilot with her regular rider Damian Lane copping a 15-meeting suspension for his ride on Aeliana (Castelvecchio) in the Makybe Diva Stakes.
And Vinrock ended the week on a high for the stable with a win that took his earnings past the $1m mark, after he was bought by Laurie and Wilannah Park Bloodstock for $300,000 at Inglis Premier.
"I think he's a pretty tough horse. You put it to him, he tries pretty hard, so I think when the going gets tough he'll give his best,” Laurie told Racing.com.
“He's a quality colt, he's by the right stallion. I'm really pleased for Yulong. They've purchased him, he's going to be standing there one day, and it's nice to add to his CV again."
Laurie said while Vinrock wasn’t suited by the 1200 metres of the McNeil, the early speed he showed to cross from his wide barrier on Saturday was “one of his assets”.
“He can begin well. Obviously over a shorter trip he found it a little bit trickier, but he's a horse that we've always felt would be pretty good over a little bit further,” he said.
“It was a good set up today for Mark, and I'm very pleased to see him back in the winner's circle."
Laurie confirmed a return to Sydney for the Golden Rose was likely on Vinrock’s agenda.
”I was hoping we'd be going to a Golden Rose third up. I still think we should be looking that path, but we'll have a good chat tomorrow,” he said.
Zahra said Vinrock had “needed the run” first-up and was better suited on a larger track on Saturday.
“He had to come across from the wide barrier and he was a bit keen early, but once he got into his rhythm he was fine,” Zahra said.
“The winkers can probably come off now that we know he's trying hard again. I was just able to rest him off the other horse [Wise Inlaw] and he's a horse that needs to be at his top coming into the straight because he can quicken off that. He showed a bit of grit.”
Bookmakers responded by tightening Vinrock to $8 third favouritism for the Caulfield Guineas, behind Autumn Boy (The Autumn Sun) at $4.00 and Nepotism (Brutal) at $4.50. Vinrock also shortened for the Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) at Rosehill on September 27, from $18 to $11.
Bred by Rosemont Stud, Vinrock is the third and best foal of Girl Gone Rockin’ (Redoute’s Choice), who won four races including the VRC Matriarch Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m).
Second dam Sorrento (Just A Dancer) won five stakes races across both sides of the Tasman, highlighted by Rosehill’s Queen Of The Turf Stakes (Gr 2, 1500m) in 2001 - four years before it became a Group 1.
Girl Gone Rockin’ missed to Dundeel (High Chaparral) in 2024, and was covered by Churchill (Galileo) last spring.
Vinrock became I Am Invincible’s second stakes winner and 21st overall winner from 110 runners for the new season. One of the Yarraman Park stallion’s 121 stakes winners, Vincrock brought up the 266th stakes win for the 21-year-old, who’s covering his 16th book this term at $220,000 (inc GST).
