Princess Grace is 2nd again in Australia; Makybe Diva is next
Making a ground-saving run on the worn turf along the rail, five-time U.S. graded-stakes winner Princess Grace came up just short again Saturday in her second Group 1 bid in Australia. This time she finished second in the US$484,072 Memsie Stakes at Caulfield in suburban Melbourne.
The effort set her up for yet another Group 1 turf race, this time stretching to about a mile Sept. 16 at the home of the Melbourne Cup.
“The Makybe Diva at Flemington in two weeks over 1,600 (meters),” trainer Chris Waller said in a text message to Horse Racing Nation.
In the Memsie, post-time favorite Mr Brightside (9-5), a 6-year-old gelding with more than US$5.5 million in earnings, made a late move between horses in the deep stretch on the way to his fourth consecutive victory.
Princess Grace (5-1), who finished a close second two weeks ago in the Winx Stakes (G1) in Sydney, got out of the gate quickly. Jockey Blake Shinn kept her within two lengths of the early lead in the left-turn race that covered about seven furlongs.
A close third in the turn for home, Princess Grace maintained her place while Craig Williams made his winning move three wide on Mr Brightside. Princess Grace lost by a neck, but she also prevailed by a nose from I Wish I Win (3-1) in the photo for second. Alligator Blood (7-2) was another neck back and finished fourth in the field of 14 males and females.
The winning time was 1:23.22 without a run-up to the 1,400 meters, nine yards shy of seven furlongs. The turf course was rated good for the weight-for-age race in which Mr Brightside carried 130 pounds and Princess Grace 126.
This was the third Group 1 triumph for Mr Brightside, who was sired in Australia by Bullbars and is trained by Ben, Will and J.D. Hayes. His previous two were in the 2022 and 2023 Doncaster Mile during The Championships in Sydney.
Owned by China Horse Club and trained by Chris Waller, Princess Grace is a 6-year-old Karakontie mare who had been trained in the U.S. by Michael Stidham before she was sold last fall.