The formation of the mitotic spindle starts at prophase. Between the prophase and the metaphase (some books call this the prometaphase), there are microtubules that surround the mitotic spindle fibers and these microtubules attach to the sister chromatids. In the metaphase, the two pairs of chromosomes attach to both of the two poles of the spindle. In anaphase, there will be separation of the spindles wherein the spindles go to opposite sides of the cell. In telophase, these spindles join with the centrioles, still on the opposite sides of the cell.
