Trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes aiming for second Makybe Diva Stakes win with Mr Brightside

Co-trainer Ben Hayes is happy to take the positives out of Mr Brightside’s first-up defeat when assessing his chances of another Makybe Diva Stakes win at Flemington.

Co-trainer Ben Hayes says a career-best effort in defeat can propel Mr Brightside to win his second successive Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington.

Mr Brightside resumed in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes at Caulfield last month, almost making the perfect start to his latest spring campaign.

Mr Brightside did everything but win the race first-up, finding the fitter Pinstriped a shade too strong late.

Hayes said connections drew plenty of confidence from the post-race analysis.

“From a data perspective, that was his best first-up run that he’s ever put in,” Hayes, who trains Mr Brightside in partnership with his brothers JD and Will, said.

“So he was a little bit stiff to be beaten.

“We just ran into a fitter horse on the day, who is a very good horse himself.”

Hayes said the now seven-year-old had made the required improvement from the Memsie Stakes to be ready to go one better in Saturday’s $750,000 feature.

Pinstriped wins the Memsie Stakes!

First ever Group 1 win for trainer Enver Jusufovic 🔥 pic.twitter.com/gySZOtKVn5

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) August 31, 2024

• Gilbert Gardiner’s Monday Racebook: Horses to follow from The Valley on Saturday

“He’ll naturally improve and there will be a lot more improvement to come after Saturday.

We’re really looking forward to the big race.”

Mr Brightside is one of 13 entries for Saturday’s Makybe Diva Stakes.

The nomination deadline has been extended to 11am on Tuesday but a strong line-up of weight-for-age performers were among the early entries.

Aside from Mr Brightside and his locally-trained rival Pride Of Jenni, the impressive Winx Stakes winner Via Sistina will add intrigue to Flemington’s first Group 1 race of the season.

Via Sistina wins the Winx Stakes! She's in for a MASSIVE Spring 🔥 @[e-mail]/WNpMfXcEAj

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) August 24, 2024

• Belmont Gold Cup winner a late entry for Melbourne Cup

Hayes welcomed to the mix the Chris Waller-trained Via Sistina, who finished ahead of Mr Brightside in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Randwick – a race in which the pair finished more than six lengths from memorable winner Pride Of Jenni.

But Hayes said meeting the imported mare at Flemington would be a different scenario.

“I think Via Sistina is coming down, but that’s all right,” Hayes said.

“We’ve raced her before and we weren’t beaten very far by her.

“That was over 2000m and I think over the mile will be a different story.”

"It's class with a capital C."

Justify colt, Ndola, storms down the middle of the track & collects his second career victory ⭐️ @lindsayparkracepic.twitter.com/Yz0b2ZcMXE

— Racing.com (@Racing) August 14, 2024

• Jamie Kah charged over McNeil Stakes ride

The Lindsay Park team will also produce its leading Caulfield Guineas hope Ndola in the Listed Poseidon Stakes – but while the race will serve as the first chance for some three-year-old to audition for a Coolmore Stud Stakes start, Hayes said the camp had other ideas for Ndola.

“He’s a month between runs so we’ll look to run him over a sprint trip then bring him out in distance,” Hayes said.

“He’s a very progressive horse but he just had a very minor setback so we’ll just keep him sprinting for one more run, then we’ll look to get him out in trip.

“If we want to keep him to a Coolmore trip, if he wins on Saturday, we might think about that.”

Originally published as Trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes aiming for second Makybe Diva Stakes win with Mr Brightside