Pinstriped has secured a much-deserved Group 1 win upsetting the big weight-for-age stars ahead of the spring majors with a dashing victory at Caufield in the Memsie Stakes 2024.

2024 Memsie Stakes winner Pinstriped was impressive late in an upset. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Defending champion Mr Brightside ($2.50F) was the heavily backed favourite but he could only manage to run a neck back second to the barnstorming champion Pinstriped ($14) who was given a peach of a ride by now multiple Group 1 winning jockey Ben Allen.

Allen added the Group 1 $750,000 Memsie Stakes (1400m) to the Oakleigh Plate trophy he picked up with Marabi in 2022 with a perfectly timed ride on the consistent Enver Jusufovic-trained Pinstriped second-up.

Fresh the six-year-old son of Street Boss put the writing on the wall for a big spring ahead when narrowly beaten by Gentleman Roy in the Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at the Memsie track and trip a fortnight back.

He was able to turn the tables fitter second-up with the race run to his liking when Pride Of Jenni, Ciaron Maher’s historic six and a half length Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner from the autumn, leading them round before uncharacteristically dropping out on the 400m turn for home.

Pinstriped meanwhile had settled just off the pace throughout but Allen was there to make his move on the straight.

 “It feels pretty good!” Allen told the media post-win.

“It was pretty much how we scripted it, ideal, to hold the back of (Mr) Brightside and just follow it everywhere.

“I was going pretty well so I just had to pop on the bend, but this horse has been absolutely flying!

“He arguably should’ve won his last start; there’s a lot of doubters because he lays in quite badly and he still does a bit.”

“Massive shout out to (trainer) EJ and the owners who have been loyal as to me.

“EJ deserves it, he’s such a hard worker; big shout out to the owners and EJ for letting me stick with him.”

Running out of his skin, last year’s Feehan Stakes winner moved up to challenge the fading leader and was right there with the Lindsay Park-trained duo of Mr Brightside and Gentleman Roy in a thrilling finish to the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival’s opening Group 1 race.

With a furlong to go the favourite backers were biting their nails as Mr Brightside briefly hit the lead before he was run down late.

On the line Pinstriped had a neck to spare over the beaten favourite with his last start conquer in the P.B. Lawrence, Gentleman Roy, three lengths back third to complete the Memsie Stakes trifecta.

Beaten jockey Craig Williams was still impressed with the fresh run by Mr Brightside with improvement to come.

“I was rapt, not with the result, but the way that he felt and knowing him from ever since he arrived over here,” Williams said.

“He’s in for a really good preparation. He didn’t win today, but he gave me a lovely ride, gave himself every chance and was prepared well enough for today first-up.

“He will improve with racing. I think the difference is, the winner had the run under his belt, and we came here with the two trials, without the harder run like we usually do through the P B Lawrence.

“They’ve got a different preparation in mind for him, so there’s different scheduling, but he came here fit, ready to win and we were beaten by a better horse today, on the day.”

After missing the kick by two lengths and settling last in the run, Antino was also eye-catching the closing stages making up plenty of ground to finish fourth with something like the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) likely on the cards for him this carnival.

Pride Of Jenni meanwhile faded to finish a disappointing fifth, 5.65 lengths beaten, but still gave jockey Declan Bates plenty to praise looking ahead to the 2000m events of the spring.

“It wasn’t quite what we were hoping for,” Bates said.

“Today, to me, she raced like a horse that’s a genuine mile, 2000-metre horse. Maybe she does not have the zip for the 1400, but what I loved was after the line, she was straight back up on the back of them and grabbed the bit again.

“The main positive is how strong she was through the line. Obviously, we were hoping for better than that, but I think going forward the real positive will be stepping up in trip.”

The Memsie Stakes result saw Cranbourne-based trainer Jusufovic pick up his first ever Group 1 trophy, and he was ecstatic post-victory.

“Childhood dream! Footscray boy, used to ride my bike to Flemington and sell Herald’s at Flemington,” he said.

“Started at (Greg) Eurell’s years ago, he said I was hopeless, didn’t have the work ethic, just patience, it’s great to be here with Addison and everyone who’s had faith in me.

“To all my staff, Kim, Linda, Alex, Joslyn, Georgia and Richford and old Tony, it’s just a great result, from a young boy selling Herald’s, here I am, a Group One winning trainer!”

Jusufovic said the win was made even sweeter by the quality of rivals Pinstriped beat home.

“It’s a true Group One when you’ve got Pride Of Jenni and Mr Brightside, but of course they were first up, we were second up,” he said.

“He pulled up so well first up and he’s got a great second up record so you’re not going to die wondering, this horse has promised.

“He’s got issues, but he’s just done so well this time in and it’s just fantastic.”

Pinstriped could next be aimed at a race like Flemington’s Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) for which he is now into $12 to win in the pre-nominations markets at Ladbrokes.com.au.

“Well, you’re in the lap of the gods sometimes there but I think so, now that he’s won a Group One, I’ll just take every race as it comes and discuss it with Ben (Allen) and we’ll see whether we go to a Makybe (Diva) or a Feehan but it’ll be off to the pub tonight I think,” he said.

Dissident (2014) and Mr Brightside (2023) are the latest horse to complete the Memsie Stakes – Makybe Diva Stakes double in the same year.

Click here to view the latest 2024 Makybe Diva Stakes odds online from Ladbrokes.com.au.

2024 Memsie Stakes Results & Finishing Order

	Finish	No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Margin	Bar.	Weight	Penalty	Starting Price
	1	5	PINSTRIPED	Enver Jusufovic	Ben Allen		3	59kg		$14
	2	1	MR BRIGHTSIDE (NZ)	Ben, Will & JD Hayes	Craig Williams	0.4L	4	59kg		$2.50F
	3	3	GENTLEMAN ROY	Ben, Will & JD Hayes	Mark Zahra	2.65L	8	59kg		$9
	4	6	ANTINO (NZ)	Tony Gollan	Ms Jamie Kah	3.65L	6	59kg		$6
	5	7	PRIDE OF JENNI	Ciaron Maher	Declan Bates	5.65L	7	57kg		$2.90
	6	4	BANDERSNATCH	Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes	Jordan Childs	5.9L	2	59kg		$61
	7	8	VAGRANT	Mitchell Freedman	Beau Mertens	6.15L	5	57kg		$61
	8	2	AEGON (NZ)	Andrew Forsman	Vlad Duric	15.15L	1	59kg		$26