Mr Brightside is the deserving short-priced favourite in Futurity Stakes 2025 betting this weekend at Caulfield with Team Hayes‘ cult galloper heavily backed for a successful title defence in the Blue Diamond Stakes Day Group 1.

Three Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival elite levels run on Saturday’s Blue Diamond Day card including the Group 1 $750,000 Futurity Stakes (1400m) where all the money is on Mr B to go back-to-back for the first time since Niconero (2008-09).

The seven-year-old son of Bullbars resumed in the CF Orr at the track and trip a fortnight back when running second as the beaten favourite by Another Wil in a narrow upset.

He may have failed to defend his Orr trophy but the Futurity Stakes betting markets at Ladbrokes.com.au suggest he is ready to atone fitter second-up and ready to return to winning form.

Craig Williams retains the ride from the outside barrier 11 draw, a gate that last produced a Futurity winner with Alizee in 2019.

The latest Futurity Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au have the reigning champ and second-up specialist at $2.05 to win back the love of the punters.

The danger occupying the second line of Futurity Stakes betting at $4.50 is the resuming Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman trained I Wish I Win.

The six-year-old son of Savabeel is also well performed over the 1400m distance (5:1-2-2).

A winner of just shy of $12.8 million in stakes his first-up record is solid (8:3-2-2) and he’s drawn for a sweet run from gate three with the in-form Ms Jamie Melham in the saddle.

His last victory had him beating home Bella Nipotina in Brisbane’s Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup last June and his dead last in the $20 million The Everest in Sydney to end his spring was with excuses.

Brush that aside and focus on his back-to-back winning Pakenham trials leading up to his return where he certainly looks value to challenge the top elect.

Rounding out the hopes under $10 in the latest markets at $9 is the Godolphin raced Tom Kitten.

James Cummings‘ Harry Angel four-year-old came up trumps in the Futurity Stakes barrier draw in gate two for Ben Melham.

Saturday has him lining up at Caulfield for the first time where he looks to bring his ace Sydney form further south.

Runner-up in the Epsom and a brave fourth in the King Charles III Stakes over the Epsom mile last prep, Tom Kitten was last seen running third in the lucrative $10 million The Golden Eagle over 1500m at Rosehill back in November when under a length beaten.

He has a 50% winning strike-rate fresh from four previous resuming runs and that alley puts him right in the mix.

Other notable Futurity Stakes contenders this season include Tom Kitten’s rails-drawn stablemate Pericles ($11) racing for the first time since his $2 million Five Diamonds win at Rosehill and Team Hayes’ other runner, Caulfield Guineas third placed Evaporate ($14), who is the market mover after the three-year-old resumed with a third here in the Group 2 Autumn Stakes a fortnight back.

The 2025 Futurity Stakes is scheduled to run as Caulfield Race 7 at 3:40pm (AEDT) as the first of three Group 1 races at the Blue Diamond meeting.

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