Makybe Diva Stakes (Group 1)

THE eight-year-old Bullbars gelding Mr Brightside has lowered the colours of Chris Waller’s star pairing of Via Sistina and Aeliana, defeating both by nearly two lengths to win the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington on Saturday.

Run over a mile (1,600 metres) and attracting a select field of six, the race saw Craig Williams on Mr Brightside controlling the pace from the front.

Releasing the hand brake nearing the 600-metre mark, Mr Brightside picked up sharply to hold a two-length advantage half-way down the straight. Keeping on strongly all the way to the line, it was a third straight Makybe Diva Stakes win for Mr Brightside who underlined that he will be a threat in whatever race Ben, Will and J.D. Hayes send him to next.

The Castelvecchio filly Aeliana took second ahead of the Fastnet Rock mare Via Sistina. The win was Mr Brightside’s 10th Group 1 win as he nudged his career earnings to just over A$17.9 million.

More grateful

“I think, after my experience and what we do in Ukraine (Williams and his Ukrainian wife Larysa have been involved in a number of aid missions), it just makes me more grateful to be able to partner up with a horse like him, put on a show and have people come out and support our amazing industry,” said Williams.

“This is what I dreamed of as a kid and wrote stories about at school. This is what every rider in the jockeys’ room works hard for and continues to work hard for – to win Group 1s, and especially these feature races like the Makybe Diva Stakes.”

Mr Brightside will now likely be kept to the mile with the Group 2 Feehan Stakes a likely prelude to the $5 million Group 1 King Charles Stakes on October 18th at Randwick.

For the placegetters, Chris Waller was upbeat about the first and second favourites for the Cox Plate on October 25th, though Aeliana is also equal favourite for the Caulfield Cup a week earlier.

“For us, getting to our grand final, we are exactly on target,” said Waller. “We don’t need to change anything or adjust anything. The pressure of a 2,000 metre race will suit both of them. We got beat but we came away knowing that we’re heading in the right direction for their grand finals.”

ROBERT Hickmott, who trained the Melbourne Cup winners Green Moon (2012) and Almandin (2016) for owner Lloyd Wiliams, will have himself a runner this year after Revelare was guaranteed a Melbourne Cup start for winning the Group 3 Archer Stakes over 2,500 metres at Flemington on Saturday.

The So You Think gelding has steadily worked his way through his grades having now won eight from 11 with this his first step into ‘blacktype’ racing. Declan Bates took the ride, having won on Revelare at his previous start at Caulfield.

“Just the way he took me there again,” said Bates. “He just travels like a good horse, and I believe he’s a very good horse. You certainly wouldn’t be swapping. him for anything. As I said, he’s just got all the attributes. He’s a big, powerful animal, he’s tactically versatile, and he’s got more improvement to come.”

As a consequence, Revelare is now on the fourth line of betting for the Melbourne Cup with local markets listing Irish St Leger winner Al Riffa a $6 favourite.

“I might have to have a chat with Lloyd,” remarked Hickmott. “One of his biggest adages was trying to beat the handicapper.”

HAVING made the successful transition from saddle to stopwatch, Shane Jackson, who posted 26 winners in his first full season of training, is expanding his stable having secured 18 boxes at Flemington to complement his Warrnambool yard.

“The Lindsay Park boys let me come in and ride work (at Flemington), I came in and rode on all of the tracks and thought if I could just put my name into the hat, I didn’t think I might get it. I’ve only been training in my own right for a year and it’s the holy grail as such, but we got approved for 18,” said a delighted Jackson.

“I’m excited, it’s going to be a lot more work, very stressful and everything has to go right, but I think it’s going to be a huge string to our bow.”

GODOLPHIN landed the quinella in the Group 2 Run To The Rose, the primary lead-up to the Group 1 Golden Rose for three-year-olds on September 27th.

With two runners in the race, it was the Golden Slipper placegetter Tempted, having her first start for Ciaron Maher, who came from mid-field in the 1,200 metre sprint to put away a quality field with ease.

The only filly in the race, Tempted won by two lengths. Second, also in the royal blue, was the Bivouac colt Beiwacht trained by Chris Waller.

The pair finished just ahead of the Written Tycoon colt Skyhook and the Coolmore-owned Wodeton in fourth.

High class

“She is a very, very high-class filly. I was saying to Brownie (jockey Ethan Brown) when he was on the way to the races, ‘You’ll enjoy this one, old son’,” said Maher.

“You can see she doesn’t carry a huge amount of weight. She couldn’t have been more impressive in her trial on a rain-affected track at Randwick. She has worked very well since, you can see her coat coming on.

“ I’ll have a chat to the team. I’d say she has a lot of options. She could go a number of different ways.”

AUTUMN Glow has made it six from six, remaining unbeaten in winning the Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes over 1,300 metres at Rosehill on Saturday.

Trained by Chris Waller, the filly by The Autumn Sun was a level above her rivals as a $1.30 favourite to win by over two lengths.

Second was the Russian Revolution gelding General Salute ahead of the Proisir gelding Pier.

“She’s got to be the best horse in training who is yet to win a Group 1, which is the one thing that’s missing off her resume, but I’m sure that will come,” said Waller stable foreman Charlie Duckworth.

Target

“The target was the Epsom so it will be interesting to see what weight she gets in that. She is still very lightly raced and continuing to improve. She has got endless gears.”

A A$1.8 million Inglis Easter yearling purchase, having sold for $600,000 at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale, Autumn Glow is owned by Arrowfield Pastoral and Hermitage Thoroughbreds who may also weigh up a start in the Everest.

“Obviously she is very versatile in terms of how to be ridden. She has got bags of speed. Her optimum distance range, who knows? She is just very, very good,” added Duckworth.