All-Star Mile winner reminds us to ‘always look on the bright side of life'

You know the song, not "Horses", the Rikki Lee Jones classic that has become The Valley and Daryl Braithwaite's anthem. I suppose ‘Howzat' doesn't suit racing.

That Killer's tub-thumper Mr Brightside, not the Jack Riewoldt version, naturally got plenty on Saturday when the horse with that name won the All-Star Mile.

But as a racing eternalist, what about Monty Python's "Always Look On The Brightside of Life".

You know the one that goes:

"If life seems jolly rotten
There's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle, that's the thing
And: Always look on the bright side of life
(Come on)
Always look on the right side of life"

And don't we need it. Another Melbourne jockey's race fall, is it as simple as saying we are thankful Teo Nugent is, OK? No. Not when Dream Syndicates lose their much-loved horse Fluorescent Star in the same incident.

Or when Ben Melham posts "elephant in the room" tweets that breed more elephants. That discussion is for another time here but deservedly aired.

So, it was Golden Slipper Day in Sydney and the big boys and girls took on the big boys and girls. Barry and Beryl, the battlers were watching on at best. And that's OK too.

Racing needs its big investors and partners like Coolmore and Godolphin and Newgate syndicates taking big spoils, they put it in and can reap rich harvests on days like Saturday.

Mr Brightside wins Saturday's $5m All-Star Mile. Picture: Reg Ryan–Racing Photos

But Mr Brightside, the horse bought on a failed punt from New Zealand, a gelding by a discarded stallion, gives strength to the egalitarianism of Australian racing and is forever local.

For there are always the fairy tales. And there we find All-Star Mile hero Mr Brightside as we look back on a weekend – to paraphrase Roy and HG – where too much racing just wasn't enough.

You already know much of the story, the All-Star Mile, Racing Victoria's copycatted idea for a fan based race, now into its fifth year, well suited to the heaving cauldron that is The Valley.

Luke Currie, seemingly as unfashionable as a tan suit in Hong Kong but soldiering on, flies in to replace recuperating Craig Williams. The place erupts and John Mahedy, the 76-year-old "technically homeless" retired butler (I thought that was an ideal age for the job), lands a cheque for $250,000 as Mr Brightside's owner's ambassador.

But this story goes back a lot further. Try February 10, 2021, a Wednesday, they are racing at Matamata in New Zealand and punter-agent Wayne Ormond is playing from Bangkok.

Ormond has a typical bloodstock agent's tale of woe or near miss to tell, like having a contract to buy Verry Elleegant after its third start but the potential owners preferred one big name trainer over another and despite a hastily around luncheon meeting to sort, the money never turned up so nor did Verry Elleegant until it went to Darren Weir.

So, he wasn't going to miss out on this Bullbars gelding he had backed that Wednesday. (Bullbars, remember him? He might have been a half-brother at Helmet and Epaulette but he was to breeding as Richie Callendar was to ballet, and eventually sold on-line for $22,500).

"It was the greatest tragedy beaten you have ever seen in a race," Ormond said.

"I was absolutely dirty on the punt, but I was on the phone to the trainer (Ralph Manning) straight away to ask if he'd had any calls for it."

"He said ‘no' and then that it wasn't for sale, or they won't sell it, but I just kept busting his balls," Ormond said.

Which meant stumping up an offer of "more than $200,000" for the son of Bullbars, a name which would come back to haunt a potential trainer and possible high profile majority owner. But first sealing the deal.

Mr Brightside went close to falling on debut at Matamata but picked himself up to run fifth. Picture: Vince Caligiuri–Getty Images

He knew fellow agent Phil Cataldo was on the race, but he was chasing and got that mid-week winner, Comme Bella Fille, for the OTI Group. She has now won four in Sydney and around $190,000 in Stakes. But Ormond was after the fifth placegetter Mr Brightside.

"He had a useful half brother (by Power) in Hong Kong called Will Power (with Douglas Whyte), I said I was happy to come up with a figure to Ralph, and there was plenty of argy bargy over a few days before we struck a deal, then one of the owners was going to stay in, but didn't, so I had to retail it, which was a nightmare," Ormond said.

"I rang Max Whitby and gave him the spiel, then he asked me what it was by, and I said Bullbars, he said ‘no thanks'.

"I offered him as an SA Derby type horse, I wasn't worried about the pedigree because you rarely see them put in performances like that, it made the hair on my neck stand up."

"Then I had a client who would take 40 per cent if Tony McEvoy trained it, but I don't think Tony liked the Bullbars so we were off there too and I was in a world of pain."

So, he turned to old friend David Hayes at a Happy Valley Wednesday night meeting with an offer to send the horse "to your joint" if they (Lindsay Park) sold down 40 per cent. Done, and that's the start of the remarkable Mr Brightside ride for an eclectic group of owners who were singing The Killers song karaoke style at The Valley better than Jack Riewoldt after a Grand Final at The G.

Connections of Mr Brightside after winning the All-Star Mile. Picture: Scott Barbour–Racing Photos

"Sometimes things just work out, don't worry I've bought a few scrubbers as well," Ormond said in some understatement of his big purchase, that has now won closing in on $6m with the lure of much more to come.

"I came out (from Bangkok, where his wife runs a business and his children go to school) for the Doncaster last year and I will do the same this year, I didn't want to break tradition," he said.

Watching from afar didn't diminish the satisfaction of Mr Brightside's ASM win as he kept an eye on the New Zealand races for the next one.

"Don't worry, I've sucked plenty of juice over the weekend," he said.

And he posted a Sunday morning breakfast of live crustaceans noting "Bangkok is the best place in the world for seafood."

In the meantime Ormond will look to his next bright side, a share in Bella Tivaci with Chris Waller about to get going.

There is a two-year-old with Mr Brightside's trainer Ralph Manning that also ‘can't be bought' (by Niagara) running in the next fortnight that is on the radar and another that just isn't for sale with young trainer Cody Cole.

Look on the Brightside – when they are.