The first Flemington Group 1 race of the spring proved to be a thriller with Mr Brightside going back-to-back in the Makybe Diva Stakes 2024 results after reeling in the front running Pride Of Jenni.
After a day of thunderstorms and track downgrades, the sun came out for the meeting’s feature which saw the 77th edition of the Makybe Diva Stakes run under clear skies.
After getting found out fresh in the Memsie Stakes last time out, jockey Declan Bates tried to keep luck out of the equation on the talented Ciaron Maher-trained mare Pride Of Jenni who he had out to a seven-length lead throughout in this year’s Group 1 $750,000 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m).
The autumn’s runaway Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner still had around five lengths clear the rest of the field hitting the home straight but started to come back to them with 200m left to travel.
The chase was on as the Team Hayes-trained Mr Brightside, second first-up in the Memsie by a narrow margin, given a perfectly timed ride by maestro hoop Craig Williams.
“He’s a sensational horse. The Hayes’ have done a great job with this horse. Will who straps the horse told me he’s in great order.
“I was very bullish about his chances today. The way he felt, the way he pulled up. It was a harder slow today but he’s got that tenacity to win. He’s an amazing racehorse,” winning hoop Williams said.
“What I love about this horse. I was here since his third ever race start. I think we wasted three rating points on a horse like him. And now he’s a finished product, once he got to weight-for-age they were just a bit stronger and better than him.
“Now he’s one of the best milers in Australia. He is an absolute delight.
“The boys even added another hear change today so they’re still working on him.”
It was an exciting finish to the classic with Mr Brightside ($3.50) eventually roping in his regular foe to salute by a half-length and become just the third horse in history to win the event twice and the first since Sailor’s Guide (1956-57).
He carved out his own place in Makybe Diva Stakes folklore however as the first back-to-back champion since the event became a mile race and a Group 1.
“That was thrilling. What a spectacle. Pride Of Jenni was so brave out in front as she is and our bloke had to knuckle down to the task. He’s a model of consistency and we’re so glad to have him,” co-trainer JD Hayes said post-win.
“He’s unbelievable. He truly is unique. We don’t take it lightly to have a horse like him in the stable. To come back now as an older horse and perform like that is huge. He’s like a fine wine.”
For Williams it was the hoop’s fifth win in the race.
“We’re very confident in him today, back on a heavy track. And the way he came through his first-up run. We’re just so happy with him,” Ben Hayes added.
“His work into the race has been excellent, and he deserves it. And it was a great ride by Craig (Williams).
“There’s only one Diva, and there’s only one Mr B. There is.”
In third rounding out the Makybe Diva Stakes trifecta off an on-speed run was the Tony Gollan-trained Queenslander Antino ($14) who was beaten 4.7 lengths.
“He ran his guts out to run third, beaten by two superstars. He jumped well, put himself in the spot to give himself every chance and ran well,” Antino’s jockey Blake Shinn said after jumping off the third placed horse.
Also eye-catching in fourth was the returning Queensland Derby winner Warmonger at $26 for his four-year-old debut when finishing one ahead of the beaten favourite Via Sistina ahead of his potential Melbourne Cup preparation.
“Extremely happy with him. He came under pressure and hit a bit of a flat spot, but his last two furlongs were great. A super effort first-up,” Michael Dee said of the Spring Cups-bound Warmonger.
Following his 2023 Makybe Diva Stakes win, Mr Brightside went on to run second in his next three starts in the Group 1 $5 million King Charles III Stakes (1600m), Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m), and Flemington’s Group 1 Champions Mile (2000m).
He is likely to follow a similar path this year and clash plenty more times with Pride Of Jenni as the duo head towards this year’s Ladbrokes Cox Plate at The Valley on October 26.
“We’ll have to look at nominations. He’s always been a point and shoot type of horse and he’s going to be super competitive,” Hayes said of the next-up options for Mr Brightside.
Current all-in 2024 Cox Plate odds online at race sponsor Ladbrokes.com.au have Mr Brightside at $6 and Pride Of Jenni at $9.
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2024 Makybe Diva Stakes Results & Finishing Order
| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Penalty | Starting Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | MR BRIGHTSIDE (NZ) | Ben, Will & JD Hayes | Craig Williams | 4 | 59kg | $3.50 | |||
| 2 | 6 | PRIDE OF JENNI | Ciaron Maher | Declan Bates | 0.46L | 7 | 57kg | $5 | ||
| 3 | 4 | ANTINO (NZ) | Tony Gollan | Blake Shinn | 4.71L | 6 | 59kg | $14 | ||
| 4 | 5 | WARMONGER (NZ) | Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | Michael Dee | 5.71L | 3 | 58.5kg | $26 | ||
| 5 | 8 | VIA SISTINA (IRE) | Chris Waller | James McDonald | 6.46L | 1 | 57kg | $2.60F | ||
| 6 | 7 | ATISHU (NZ) | Chris Waller | Damian Lane | 10.21L | 5 | 57kg | $11 | ||
| 7 | 2 | PINSTRIPED | Enver Jusufovic | Ben Allen | 18.21L | 8 | 59kg | $11 | ||
| 8 | 3 | CIRCLE OF FIRE (GB) | Ciaron Maher | Mark Zahra | 21.46L | 2 | 59kg | $41 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
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