Ben Hayes admits result will be a tough one to get over, but there's lots of optimism about what Mr Brightside can do overseas next

History at The Valley on Ladbrokes Cox Plate Day

<div class="raw-html-embed"><p>Ben Hayes, his brothers JD and Will and his father David and mother Prue found out the hard way that losing a Cox Plate in a tight photo is not the most bitter pill of all to swallow.</p>
<p>Instead, it’s thinking you’ve won before seeing another horse’s number goes up in the frame.</p>
<p>“It was devastating for us as we thought we’d won,” Ben Hayes said moments after the race. “We all thought we’d won, so then we find out we lost.</p>
<p>“It was tough. Hard to process for a while.”</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Hayes family reunite at The Valley! 😍 <a href="https://twitter.com/lindsayparkrace?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lindsayparkrace</a> <a href="https://t.co/tyuqqsoQRE">pic.twitter.com/tyuqqsoQRE</a></p>
— Racing.com (@Racing) <a href="https://twitter.com/Racing/status/1718089412213355003?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>He was speaking just minutes after the race where Mr Brightside and Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior hit the line in unison, but already the shock and disappointment of such a narrow loss in such a great race had started to dissipate.</p>
<p>“There are no regrets,” Ben Hayes said. “He put in his absolute best. We wouldn’t change anything.</p>
<p>“It was a great ride. Everything went right and we were just beaten by a better horse.</p>
<p>“Our horse had every opportunity. Craig (Williams) rode him 10 out of 10. We just got beaten on the line by a champion.”</p>
<p>Ben Hayes finished the interview with a perfect teaser for what still may lay ahead this year at Flemington over the next few weeks in either the Champion Stakes (2000m) or Champion Mile (1600m) and at the International meeting in Hong Kong in December.</p>
<p>“We are going run by run; if he’s good and happy we’ll head in that direction,” he said. “If not, we just target the autumn.</p>
<p>“We might have to go over there and beat him (Romantic Warrior) by a nose.”</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">"A very good horse was beaten by a very good horse. Let's get him in Hong Kong." <br>
<br>
David Hayes was incredibly proud of his boys on Mr Brightside's 2nd in the Cox Plate. ❤️<a href="https://twitter.com/lindsayparkrace?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lindsayparkrace</a> <a href="https://t.co/ujtmYeO4O8">pic.twitter.com/ujtmYeO4O8</a></p>
— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) <a href="https://twitter.com/7horseracing/status/1718160660234744134?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>WATCH: Romantic Warrior's gutsy Cox Plate Win at The Valley</strong></p>
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Hayes looks on the Brightside