The Hayes brothers face a delicate balancing act as they plan the spring campaign of their stable star Mr Brightside, with the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes (1600m) in Sydney on October 18 firmly pencilled in as the main goal.

The eight-year-old, already a nine-time Group 1 winner, kicked off his preparation with a strong second in the Memsie Stakes (1600m) at Caulfield on August 30. Since then, Ben, Will and J D Hayes have been debating whether his next outing should be this Saturday’s Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington or the following week’s 7 Stakes (1600m) at Randwick, with the decision hinging on track conditions and acceptances.

“If we run in the Makybe Diva, it’s five weeks into the King Charles. If we wait and go to the 7 Stakes, it’s four weeks,” Ben Hayes explained. “From there we could look at the Feehan Stakes like last year, or keep him fresh. It’s tricky because there aren’t many races at his distance before the King Charles.”

Hayes admitted that weather may ultimately determine the path, joking that wherever Mr Brightside goes, the rain tends to stay away. Ironically, one of his most emphatic victories came in last year’s Makybe Diva on a heavy track.

Treasurethe Moment’s outstanding return win has the stable wary but not daunted. “She had the easiest run in the Memsie, but our bloke did all the work from the draw and still beat the rest,” Hayes said. “Second-up, he’ll be fitter and finish a lot closer to her.”

While a Cox Plate tilt has been ruled out, Mr Brightside is expected to close his spring back at Flemington in either the Champions Mile (1600m) or Champions Stakes (2000m) during Cup week, with a possible back-up into the CF Orr Stakes at Caulfield seven days later. “We’ve never tried backing him up, but it’s something we might consider,” Hayes said.