Mr Brightside (NZ) Lands Second P B Lawrence

New Zealand Bloodstock’s eight-million-dollar man Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) has started his new campaign on the exact same note as he did 12 months ago, winning the A$300,000 Group Two P B Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.

Bought for only $22,000 from the 2019 Karaka May Sale from the Phoenix Park draft and offered later that year at the NZB Ready to Run Sale, the Bullbars gelding has now amassed over A$8.4m in stakes – close to 400 times his purchase price.

Mr Brightside was bred by Ray Johnson in partnership with his late wife Martha, and an opportunity later arose for Johnson to buy him back on gavelhouse.com for just $7,750. He was later sold privately to clients of the Hayes stable.

Victory in last year’s Lawrence set Mr Brightside up for a lucrative season, which also included a win in the A$5m All-Star Mile (1600m) and a successful defence of his Group One Doncaster Mile (1600m) crown in Sydney in the autumn.

The superstar miler began his latest preparation on a dominant note on Saturday, settling into a smooth rhythm in fifth place before putting the result beyond doubt within a few powerful bounds after turning for home. With several gears still up his sleeve and under minimal urging from jockey Craig Williams, Mr Brightside crossed the finish line a length and three-quarters in front and stopped the clock at 1:21.71.

“The way that Ben, JD, and Will Hayes (trainers) prepare this horse makes my job very easy,” Williams said. “His performance today, 12 months after winning the same race, he’s just gone to another level, which is quite scary considering he is arguably the best miler in Australia.

“He’s just really showing how good he is. Mentally, he is a lot more professional, and you could see that today. Wherever they decide to go with him, I want to be on his back.”

Ben Hayes saw Saturday’s win as an ideal starting point for Mr Brightside’s spring campaign, which is likely to make its next stop in the Group One Memsie Stakes (1400m) over the same course and distance in two weeks’ time.

“From when he jumped, he landed in a beautiful position and it was a very easy watch,” Hayes said. “It was an absolute 10-out-of-10 ride from Craig and the horse really stamped his authority today.

“He won impressively and won very easily. I think that is really exciting, and hopefully, he’s improved again.”

The third placegetter in Saturday’s race was the proven Group One performer Aegon (NZ) (Sacred Falls). Bought for $150,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2019, Aegon has earned more than $1.7m from a 21-start career that has produced six wins and two placings.

Vendor	Phoenix Park
Purchaser	Phill Cataldo Bloodstock (Waikato)
Breeding	Bullbars – Lilahjay
Sale	Lot 159, 2019 Karaka May Sale, $22,000Lot 39, 2019 Ready to Run Sale, Psd (Res $50,000)
Bred by	R I & Est Late M A G Johnson