Melbourne Cup: Will There Be Another Makybe Diva?

Australian punters have plenty at stake when it's time for the Melbourne Cup, the biggest annual thoroughbred horse racing event in the country. Held on the first Tuesday of every November, horse owners and trainers that make it to the final field of 24 starters for a stake in millions of dollars, which was reportedly an astonishing 6 Million dollars in prize money in 2010. The Flemington Racecourse is set ablaze by the finest of thoroughbreds that keep punters on their toes with all eyes glued to the track, over a distance of 3200 meters.

Millions get the day off with the day being a public holiday. Many of these fancy placing a bet or two on the race that is billed as 'The race that stops a nation'.

Time seems to have stood still for three years in a row from 2003 to 2005 with Makybe Diva, from the stable of Emily Krstina Pty Ltd, and owned by South Australian fisherman, Tony Šantić, galloped past the winning post on all three occasions. May be it was his five employees from whom he took the first two letters of each name, that were his good luck charm. However, no credit can be taken away from the British-bred, Australian-trained Thoroughbred, who despite being foaled in the UK, beat the toughest competition on all three occasions even though she was bracketed with horses six months older.

Credit also goes to her jockey Glen Boss who steered her to victory on all three occasions. Glen Boss seems to have the answer as to whether there will be another Makybe Diva. He says, "A hundred years from now when I'm dead and buried there still mightn't be a horse that can do that, it's pretty big."

So, there you have it from the jockey's mouth, which is as good as saying from the 'horse's mouth'. Trainer Lee Freedman agrees that the country hasn't seen a better horse in 30 or 40 years.

Makybe Diva's lineage continues with her first foal a colt named Rockstardom by English Derby winner, Galileo. The colt sold for $1.5 million as a yearling. Makybe Diva also has a filly by Fusaichi Pegasus, a Kentucky Derby winner. Her third was a colt by Encosta De Lago, and is now in a 'love match' with Lonhro, an outstanding racehorse, and stallion with more than 7 million dollars in prize money. Therefore, there is no doubt that the Lonhro-Makybe Diva yearling is sure to be hot property.

So the game is on, the bookies and punters sure have their eyes on Makybe's youngsters. The load is on trainer Danny O'Brien and Rockstardom to continue her excellent run and provide the answer to the 'multi-million' dollar question.

Melbourne cup fever does spread all over Australia with several events organised throughout the country. Canberra celebrates with fashion parades, trackside marquees, parties, and of course, plenty of wagers.

Hotels and restaurants put up giant screens and are usually fully booked on the day of the cup. In a matter of minutes it's all over with the winning jockey raising his whip in triumph. Makybe Diva, Glen Boss, and Lee Freedman became used to it. However, jockeys must not get too carried away before they pass the winning post.

French jockey Gerald Mosse, who brought home Americain in the 2010 Melbourne Cup, couldn't hold back his excitement, and was fined $388 for blowing a kiss to the crowd before he crossed the finishing post.

Let's retire to the stable with a toast to trainer Bart Cummings, 12 times winner of the Melbourne Cup, deserving the nickname of 'Cup King', and also to Phar Lap, winner of the Cup during the Great Depression, and an enduring symbol of Australia's turf. No one will forget his winning spree on each of the four days of the 1930 Flemington spring carnival, which included the Melbourne Cup.


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