Flemington’s All-Star Milers

The first four in the market all have legitimate winning claims, backed up by strong ratings at Racing & Sports which should hopefully eventuate in a high-rating performance by the winner.

Nine-time Group 1 winner Mr Brightside, who won the All-Star Mile at Moonee Valley in 2023, will be the highest rated horse going in, and it’s very interesting to note that his three highest rated performances, according to Racing & Sports, came over the Flemington mile.

He ran to a rating of 124 in the 2023 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) when beating Alligator Blood, and has bettered that again going 125 in his past two visits to Flemington in last year’s Crown Makybe Diva Stakes and VRC Champions Mile.

Two ratings of 123 and 122 this time in say he’s right there and set to run something like his absolute best on Saturday, so how does that stack up against the six All-Star Miles in its short history?

Mr Brightside’s own win in 2023 rated 121 and sits just above Regal Power in 2020 who ran to 120, while the list is topped by three-time Flemington Group 1 winning mare Pride Of Jenni, who ran to 127 last year at Caulfield.

The two other Flemington All-Star Miles were both won with a Racing & Sports rating of 122, by Mystic Journey in the inaugural edition in 2019, and Zaaki in 2022.

The Flemington Mile has an outstanding honour roll, and a horse like Mr Brightside is right up there with some of the best performances we’ve seen over the famous trip.

Going back to 2000, his peak of 125 is only bettered by two horses – Weekend Hussler, who ran to 126 in the 2008 Makybe Diva Stakes, then run as a Group 2, and Humidor, who also went 126 in his Makybe Diva Stakes win in 2017.

A rating of 125 was also achieved by Testa Rossa in the 2000 Cantala Stakes, now the Champions Mile, although he did carry top weight of 59kg that day in arguably a better performance than his rating perhaps suggested.

Others to have run a rating of 123 or better over the Flemington mile are:

All to say, Mr Brightside is right up there with the best Flemington milers we’ve seen, and he’ll need to be on Saturday. Beaten first-up by Another Wil who ran to 124 at Racing & Sports and could well improve again, they sit atop the betting.

Tom Kitten was excellent behind Mr Brightside first-up and Atishu saves her absolute best for Flemington, with her past three victories all coming at headquarters. She a multiple Group 1 winner at Flemington and isn’t to be discounted.

We’ve seen some champions win over the testing Flemington mile, perhaps none more so than Mr Brightside, who is striving for his tenth career Group 1 win, over the track and distance he’s performed to his best at.

It should be an All-Star spectacle and he can etch his name in history as the first dual All-Star Mile winner, now at its permanent home of Flemington.