Mr Brightside owns Doncaster MIle for second consecutive year

The reliable gelding Mr Brightside saved the day for favorite backers in Group 1 races at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday.

Mr Brightside ($6.40 in American pools) won the $2.6 million Doncaster Mile for the second consecutive year at Randwick, closing from seventh in a field of 20 to win by a head over 50-1 My Oberon.

Going Global, a nine-time stakes winner on turf in California in the last two years, finished 16th, beaten 13 1/4 lengths in her Australian debut.

Zac Purton rode Mr Brightside, who became the first repeat winner of the Doncaster Mile since Sacred Falls in 2013-2014. Purton, the leading rider in Hong Kong, rode Sacred Falls in 2013 and has won the handicap four times.

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Mr Brightside has been in outstanding form this year, having won the $3.32 million All-Star Mile at Moonee Valley Racecourse on March 18.

A winner of 11 of 23 starts, Mr Brightside is expected to make a quick turnaround for a start in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes, a $3.3 million race at 1 1/4 miles at Randwick on April 8. The race is likely to draw leading Australian older horse Anamoe and the British shipper Dubai Honour.

While the outcome of the Doncaster Mile was easy to predict, the other Group 1 races at Randwick went to outsiders.

The $2 million T.J. Smith Stakes at six furlongs was billed as a showdown between Nature Strip, the two-time Australian Horse of the Year, and Giga Kick, who won the $9.3 million Everest Stakes at six furlongs last October, the world’s richest sprint.

Neither could handle I Wish I Win ($21.80) who rallied in the final furlong to finish slightly more than a half-length in front of 5-2 Giga Kick in the field of 13. Nature Strip, the 2-1 favorite, faded to finish fourth after leading in the stretch.

Giga Kick led in the final furlong, but could not hold off I Wish I Win, a New Zealand-bred gelding who was ridden by Luke Nolen. I Wish In Win won the $6.48 million Golden Eagle Stakes for Southern Hemisphere 4-year-olds last October.

Major Beel ($115.20) was the shock winner of the $1.33 million Australian Derby at 1 1/2 miles, racing near the front throughout under jockey Tim Clark. Major Beel, who won his first stakes in the Australian Derby, won by three-quarters of a length over 53-1 Virtuous Circle. Pericles, the 7-5 favorite, was only ninth of 18.

In the day’s first Group 1, Militarize ($95.50) closed from eighth of 13 to win the $668,500 Inglis’ Sires Stakes at seven furlongs for Southern Hemisphere 2-year-olds. Ridden by Joao Moreira, Militarize won for the second time in four starts, and recovered from a 13th-place finish in the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes at six furlongs at Rosehill Gardens on March 18.

Moreira, a former leading rider in Hong Kong, is riding briefly in Australia this spring in advance of an expected retirement this year.

Sunday evening preview

Absolute Legend, a winner of two of his last four starts, is favored to continue his recent success in a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs at Grafton Racecourse on Sunday evening.

A 6-year-old gelding, Absolute Legend has been in the best form of his career in recent months. Absolute Legend has won 3 of 23 starts in his career. He won a handicap at five furlongs at Port Macquarie on Feb. 5, finished 11th at Randwick on Feb. 25 and was fifth at Port Macquarie on March 17 before rebounding to win a five-furlong handicap at Port Macquarie on March 25.

Absolute Legend, who tends to set the pace, will have his first start at Grafton on Monday evening. He is winless in five starts at 5 1/2 furlongs, but has won at 6 1/4 furlongs in his career.

Trained by John Sprague at Port Macquarie, Absolute Legend is part of a field of 14 at Grafton and was the 7-2 favorite in early betting on Saturday.

Alf’s Magic and Single Touch were the 5-1 second choices.

Alf’s Magic was a closing third in a five-furlong handicap at Ballina on March 21, his ninth consecutive loss. Alf’s Magic won three consecutive races in late 2021 and early 2022.

Single Touch won a six-furlong handicap at Port Macquarie on March 17 for his second win in 16 starts and first victory in eight starts.

Grafton has an eight-race program, beginning at 11 p.m. Eastern or 8 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

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