David Hayes looks on the Brightside as Allgreektome resumes after his Happy Valley scrape

David Hayes is a glass-half-full person, and he thinks the pre-race mishap that led Jockey Club vets to withdraw Allgreektome from the final event on Happy Valley’s opening night may be a happy accident.

Always one to look on the bright side of life, Hayes is upbeat about Allgreektome’s chance of bouncing back from last week’s unfortunate incident a few minutes before the Class Three Mui Wo Handicap (1,200m) and winning this week’s Tsim Sha Tsui East Handicap in the same grade over the same course and distance.

“It might be,” said Hayes when asked if what happened may be a blessing in disguise. “I was worried he was going to get a tough run from gate eight last week. He’s drawn a better barrier (two) this week.

“He went out with the pony. The pony kicked out at him. He kicked between his legs and just grazed the inside of his thigh. It was a little bit of a mark. The vets pulled him out. It was out of my control.

“He passed his OVE [official veterinary examination] on Thursday, the morning after the incident. It was very superficial, and he hasn’t missed a beat.”

Allgreektome maps to hold the rail in the Tsim Sha Tsui East Handicap, although Luke Ferraris’ mount is likely to have last-start leader Majestic Knight and regular front runner Magic Phoenix for company from their stalls of seven and three, respectively.

The penultimate of Wednesday’s eight races at Happy Valley also contains Caspar Fownes-trained sprinter Dancing Code, who carries the colours of superstar entertainer Aaron Kwok Fu-shing and boasts an unbeaten record at the city circuit synonymous with his handler.

Allgreektome, one of five Hayes-prepared gallopers on Wednesday’s Happy Valley card, is not up to competing in one of the four Longines Hong Kong International Races features. However, Mr Brightside is firming in betting to represent the Hayes family in one of the big-money major events at Sha Tin on December 10.

Mr Brightside, trained by Hayes’ Hong Kong-raised sons Ben, Will and JD, won his fifth consecutive race – and the fourth Group One contest of his career – when he ran past Alligator Blood to take out the Makybe Diva Stakes (1,600m) at Flemington on Saturday.

“He’s the best miler in Australia. He’s a great horse, and the boys really want to bring him,” Hayes said.

“He’ll go for the HK$25 million King Charles over 1,600m at Randwick on October 14. Then they’ll decide whether he’ll run against Romantic Warrior in the Cox Plate over 2,040m at Moonee Valley two weeks later and get a guide on which HKIR race to come here for.

“They’ll nominate him for both the Hong Kong Mile and the Hong Kong Cup. If he’s vulnerable in the Cox Plate, they’ll switch from the Cup to the Mile.”

Mr Brightside has won 14 of his 26 starts, but he has yet to be victorious beyond a mile, finishing fifth in the 2022 Group One Underwood Stakes (1,800m), fourth in the 2022 Group One Might And Power Stakes (2,000m) and seventh in the 2022 Cox Plate (2,040m).