Queen Elizabeth hopefuls Cascadian and Mr Brightside stand the test of time

The Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes field wouldn’t be complete without Cascadian and Mr Brightside and it could be the last time the much-loved gallopers meet in a big race.

Cascadian winning the Australian Cup with Ben Melham aboard. Picture: Pat Scala/Racing Photos via Getty Images

Cascadian has the movie star looks, Mr Brightside’s got the catchy name inspired by a hit song.

Both racehorses also have the longevity, consistency and class to that makes them real fan favourites on the racetrack.

Godolphin’s Cascadian is a rising 10-year-old but he’s arguably in the best form of his career. Mr Brightside has been so good this season he is in the conversation for Horse of the Year.

They are racing’s enduring champs and a Group 1 field at distances up to 2000m would not seem complete without them.

In fact, over the last five years, no horse has contested as many Group 1 races as Cascadian. He has lined up in 28 races at the top level for four wins.

• Ray Thomas’ verdicts for all four Group 1s at Randwick on Saturday

When it comes to geldings, the next highest over the same period is Mr Brightside with 17 Group 1 starts for six wins.

Both horses have more than paid their way on the racetrack with Mr Brightside sixth on the all-time list of prizemoney earners with just over $13m in stakes and Cascadian just outside the top 10 with earnings over more than $10.6m.

They have clashed seven times previously with Mr Brightside holding a 5-2 head-to-head advantage.

But when Mr Brightside (No.1 saddlecloth) and Cascadian (No.2) lead the field out for the Group 1 $5m Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday, it could be the last time they meet in a big race.

Godolphin trainer James Cummings hinted that Cascadian, the flashy chestnut with the prominent white blaze on his face, could be lining up for his career swan song on day two of The Championships.

“This is Cascadian’s last season of racing and this could even be his final race start,’’ Cummings said.

“We will decide that after he runs in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.’’

WHAT AN EDITION OF THE AUSTRALIAN CUP!

CASCADIAN GOES BACK-TO-BACK! 💙💙@[e-mail]/EzCD6ssG4r

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) March 30, 2024

Cascadian goes to Randwick’s richest autumn carnival race after an outstanding win in the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington last start.

Ben Melham rode a brilliant stalking race on Cascadian last start as the gelding reeled in frontrunning mare Pride Of Jenni near the line to win the weight-for-age feature for the second successive year.

“Cascadian’s in very good form and he’s really well going into Saturday,’’ Cummings said.

“But the speed will be on in this race. I don’t know who will be the immediate chasers behind that mare (Pride Of Jenni) but we know it is going to be a fast tempo and it will make for a great race.’’

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Mr Brightside, named after American rock band The Killers’ famous 2004 hit song, ran only fifth in the Australian Cup but his trainers, brothers Ben, Will and JD Hayes, have confidence their six-year-old can bounce back on Saturday.

“The horse is named after a good song so the public are drawn to him and I love the song, I know it backwards now,’’ JD Hayes said.

“He’s been a remarkable horse, that’s the best way to describe him, and he’s also incredibly consistent.

“He’s a beautiful horse to train although he is very lazy. He’s the ultimate professional and saves his energy for race day.

“Before the Australian Cup, he had 12 runs at the top level he had won seven of them and run second five times.’’

Hayes suggested they will adopt slightly different riding tactics on Mr Brightside in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

“I think Mr Brightside prefers to be ridden a touch more quiet over 2000m,’’ he said.

“He can handle those strong tempos over 1400m and a mile where he is bombproof, but at 2000m we need to rate him to ensure he runs the trip right out and is hitting the line hard.

“His class takes him a long way and I don’t doubt him at 2000m. He just got beaten in a Cox Plate and it’s no fluke running second in a Cox Plate.’’

Mr Brightside has created his own legend with back-to-back Doncaster wins. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

Despite their outstanding form, neither is favourite for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes with Mr Brightside at $8 and Cascadian $11 behind boom mare Via Sistina who heads betting at $2.30 after her stunning win in the Ranvet Stakes last month.

But TAB spokesman Rohan Welsh said punters will still want to back Mr Brightside and Cascadian.

“Mr Brightside is a real favourite with punters,’’ Welsh said.

“In his recent wins, he was responsible for about 50 per cent of the entire hold with TAB on those races.

“His popularity crosses state boundaries, he’s universally popular.

“The same with Cascadian. He is another horse that punters admire because he gives his all every start.’’

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Form expert Dan O’Sullivan from The Rating Bureau said horses who have had extended careers like Cascadian and Mr Brightside “provide the substance and interest” at the top level that racing fans need.

“We should celebrate them and appreciate the excitement they bring to the game,’’ O’Sullivan said.

Bruce McAvaney, the voice of Australian sport and presenter of Channel 7’s race day coverage, said Cascadian and Mr Brightside have a certain familiarity with the racing public as they have been competing for some seasons.

“Both horses have longevity and continue to go back and do things they have done before, creating standards that are hard to break,’’ McAvaney said.

“Cascadian created incredible history last start, becoming only the third nine-year-old to win the Australian Cup. He also won the race last year.

“Mr Brightside has through his back-to-back Doncaster Mile wins created his own legend. Racing fans connect with these horses because we see them so regularly.

“We all understand why colts have to be retired to stud relatively early in their careers but that’s why geldings and mares like Winx make Australian so special because we get to enjoy them racing for a number of years.’’

Back-to-back for Mr Brightside!@zpurton claims his third Star Doncaster Mile as the Ben & JD Hayes gelding becomes the 8th horse to win successive Doncasters, fighting off My Oberon with Nugget in third. @[e-mail]/xky0wy4O1F

— Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) April 1, 2023

Mr Brightside is proving as important to the Hayes brothers as their father, David’s champion, Better Loosen Up.

David Hayes took out a trainer’s licence in 1990 and in his first season prepared Better Loosen Up to win the Cox Plate, Japan Cup and Australian Cup.

Better Loosen Up was a modestly bred gelding who raced in the Lindsay Park colours of white, green sash, black sleeves and cap.

For the Hayes brothers, Mr Brightside, who was sold for just $22,000 as a yearling and races in the same colours as Better Loosen Up, has come along at just the right time in their emerging training careers.

“We were laughing about the comparisons between Better Loosen Up and Mr Brightside early on but they are genuine comparisons now,’’ JD Hayes said.

“Mr Brightside has helped to put our business back on the map and Ben, Will and I could not be more thankful.’’

Cummings might have trained better racehorses than Cascadian but the trainer admires the gelding’s ability to defy age and continue to be a Group 1 force.

“It took a fair bit of advocating to keep Cascadian going for another season but he’s still racing at the top of his game,’’ Cummings said.

“This autumn Cascadian ran third in the All-Star Mile then converted that to win the Australian Cup, going back-to-back in that time-honoured race.

“Because he has been in the stable for so many years now, my team get the chance to spend a lot of time with the horse and they get to know him so well.

“It is so rare to have a horse as mature as Cascadian still in training and racing at the top level.’’

Originally published as Queen Elizabeth hopefuls Cascadian and Mr Brightside stand the test of time