Australia: Jimmysstar favored in Memsie Stakes
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Jimmysstar has been a fixture among Australian sprinters in recent years, which is why the 7-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding will be favored in Saturday’s Group 1 Memsie Stakes at seven furlongs at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne.
Jimmysstar, who has won 11 of 28 starts, including three Group 1 sprints, is part of a field of 12 in the $537,900 Memsie Stakes, the first Group 1 race of the Australian season at Melbourne-area tracks. The season began on Aug. 1.
Jimmysstar has won such seven-furlong Group 1 races as the All Aged Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney in April 2025 and the C.F. Orr Stakes at Caulfield last February. In the Memsie, Jimmysstar will race against a sharp recent winner in Cosmic Crusader and established veterans returning from layoffs, including Mr Brightside and Treasurethe Moment.
Cosmic Crusader is a threat from off the pace. Treasurethe Moment, a 5-year-old with four Group 1 wins, and the immensely popular 9-year-old Mr Brightside tend to run closer to the front.
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Cosmic Crusader, a winner of 10 of 19 starts, won the Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes at seven furlongs at Caulfield on Aug. 15 for his fourth win in his last five starts.
Mr Brightside has won 20 of 48 starts, including the 2023 Memsie. A 10-time Group 1 winner, Mr Brightside has not raced since November because of a fetlock injury.
Mr Brightside was second in the 2025 Memsie Stakes to Treasurethe Moment, who has not raced since a third-place finish by 1 2/3 lengths in the Group 1 Queen of the Turf Stakes at a mile for fillies and mares at Randwick in April.
A winner of 11 of 19 starts, Treasurethe Moment won the 2025 Memsie after a layoff of more than four months. Trained by Matt Laurie, Treasurethe Moment is handy enough to lead or stalk the pace and could be the runner to catch in the Memsie.
Post time for the Memsie is 2:10 a.m. Eastern on Saturday.
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