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"Ridiculous": Pfitzner in disbelief at Makybe Diva
Connor Scanlon • September 14th, 2025 5:07 pm
Mr Brightside won his 10th Group 1 by taking out the Makybe Diva Stakes for his third year straight.
The eight-year-old champion led throughout the entire race, knocking off the short priced favourite Via Sistina ($1.75 on Sportsbet).
The race was run at an extremely slow pace – 35 lengths outside of the Flemington track record – which shocked Miles Pfitzner.
“Just in disbelief, I think it’s one of the most ridiculous affairs I’ve ever witnessed,” Pfitzner said.
“You can’t let a horse roll out in front like that at that tempo and they did.
“There was no running him down, it was all over at the 800m when no one made a move.
“Full credit to Craig Williams, full credit to the horse.”
“A lot of people might come for me in saying this but to see a Group 1 race run like that, I’m in genuine disbelief.
“Lost for words, completely and utterly lost for words.”
Similarly, Mick Gannon echoed that praise to Mr Brightside’s jockey Craig Williams, but he couldn’t believe that a Group 1 race was run in such a way.
“Well done Willo, well done team Hayes for taking the initiative and going forward,” Gannon said.
“Well done for going a slow tempo and pulling the rest of their pants down.
“Someone could’ve made a move and they didn’t. That’s a Group 1 race and they sat there and looked at each other!”
Based off the slow tempo, Pfitzner believed Via Sistina and Aeliana ran on very well, but Antino and Tom Kitten were caught flat footed.
“We were in here saying, ‘Oh my days,’” Pfitzner said.
“It’s been run at a farcical tempo, no one was brave enough to take it on.
“Off the back of the slow tempo Aeliana and Via Sistina have gone massive.
“The disappointing one out of the lot was maybe Antino and Tom Kitten because they all had an opportunity to kick on but they all just got caught flat footed.”
In the leadup to the Makybe Diva Stakes, many pundits thought that Via Sistina was near unbeatable unless something drastic happened with the tempo.
Gannon broke down that that scenario is exactly what happened.
“We’ve been talking about it all week – the only way Via Sistina loses the race is if they go a farcical tempo and they did,” Gannon admitted.
“All that aside, Mr Brightside - fantastic horse, an absolute champion, another Group 1 to him, so well done to everyone involved in the horse.
“At the start of the spring I was asked, ‘can Mr Brightside win a Group 1’ and I thought absolutely not.
“Had I known they were going to run 24 lengths slower, I may have said yes.”
