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Makybe Diva is a British-bred Australian thoroughbred racehorse, and the first horse to win the Melbourne Cup three times. She won the Cup in 2003, 2004, and won both the Cup and the Cox Plate in 2005. Sired by Desert King to dam Tugela, Makybe Diva is the highest stakes-earner in Australasian horse-racing history, with winnings of AU$14,526,685 as of 1 November 2005. She was retired after winning the 2005 Melbourne Cup, having won three times a race which few horses have ever won twice in the century and half history of the race.
Makybe Diva is owned by South Australian tuna fisherman Tony Santic, who named her after the first two letters in five of his employees' names (Maureen, Kylie, Belinda, Diana and Vanessa). She was conceived in Ireland and born in Britain on 21 March 1999. Unable to find a buyer at a British yearling sale, she was brought to Australia along with her dam.
Season 2002-2003
Originally trained by David Hall, Makybe Diva made her racetrack debut in August 2002 as a four year old in a Maiden race at Benalla, Victoria. She finished a distant fourth that day, but went on to win three low grade provincial races in fine style. Her metropolitan debut was in an Open Handicap over 2000m at Flemington, which she duly won. She followed with impressive wins over handy, but not outstanding, fields in the Listed Werribee Cup and Group 2 Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Makybe Diva returned briefly in the Autumn for two unspectacular showings over short distance races. But owner Tony Santic and trainer David Hall had other plans in mind for the Spring.
Season 2003-2004
Makybe Diva resumed racing over short distance races in the Spring, and whilst being reasonably competitive, she did not make herself especially prominent. Sent out a 14-1 outsider in the Caulfield Cup, she was to commence her highly successful partnership with leading Sydney jockey Glen Boss. Coming from near last with 800m to go in the 2400m race, she hit the lead at the 400m mark, but faded to finish a close fourth. The first Tuesday in November 2003 was to be her first Melbourne Cup victory. Starting an $8 second favourite, Makybe Diva raced at the back of the field until the finishing straight, where jockey Glen Boss picked his way through the field to go on and score by one and a half lengths going away. In the Autumn the mare contested a number of shorter distance races in which she performed well but did not challenge for a victory. However, following those she performed poorly in the Australian Cup, Ranvet Stakes and The BMW, all Group One races. The Sydney Cup, whilst not as prestigious as the Melbourne event, is nevertheless a significant race to win, and win it she did. She raced in her favourite, off the pace position, and charged home, although was not without competition, this time from the previously unheralded Manawa King, who matched her stride for stride down the Randwick straight. In a truly brave effort, Makybe managed to hold off Manawa by a neck, thereby becoming one of very few horses to win the Sydney Cup / Melbourne Cup double, and the only mare to do so. After the Autumn, her trainer, David Hall, left to train in Hong Kong, and she was taken over by Lee Freedman, who had previously had success in the Melbourne Cup with Doriemus in 1995, and is regarded as one of Australia's top trainers.
Season 2004-2005
Her campaign in Spring 2004, to try and win the Melbourne Cup for a second time, followed the familiar pattern of her previous Cup winning campaign, although she appeared to be racing better than ever. A close second in the Group 2 Feehan Stakes over 1600m at Moonee Valley underlined her competitiveness in shorter races. Despite finishing second in the Caulfield Cup, the quality of her run was such that most of the media reports after the race focused on her, rather than the victor. Drawing barrier 18, Makybe Diva sat at the very back of the field, and charged home in her typical style to be narrowly defeated by the horse that led all the way to win, Elvstroem. Makybe Diva's victory in the 2004 Melbourne Cup was remarkable for its ease. She was sent out a 5-2 favourite, and won the race as the odds said she would. The mare defeated one of the strongest Melbourne Cup fields in years, featuring multiple Irish St. Leger winner Vinnie Roe, Caulfield Cup winners Mummify and Elvstroem , highly regarded European stayer Mamool from the Godolphin stable, as well as the 2002 Melbourne Cup winner Media Puzzle. By her victory on the rain affected Flemington track, Makybe Diva stamped herself as a champion stayer of the modern era. Resuming racing in February, Makybe Diva put in close runs behind Elvstroem in both the Orr and St. George Stakes, at Caulfield. On March 12, she won the Australian Cup, a weight for age event over 2000m, in the process breaking the unofficial world record for 2000m on a grass track. In April and May Makybe Diva raced in Japan, where she disappointed in two starts, the latter of which was over 3200m in the Group One Tenno Sho (Emperor's Cup), the distance over which she won her Melbourne and Sydney Cups. A three quarter brother to Makybe Diva was sold in April 2005 for an Australian record price of $2.25 million dollars.
Season 2005-2006
Resuming racing in August 2005, Makybe Diva won the Memsie Stakes first up, before being beaten by a nose in the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes at Moonee Valley. Two weeks later with a blistering run down the outside of the field Makybe Diva scored a brilliant win in the Turnbull Stakes over 2000m at Flemington. The mare further enhanced her reputation as one of Australia’s greatest turf icons with a comfortable victory in the 2005 Cox Plate, despite being seven horses wide on the home turn. On the 1st November 2005 Makybe Diva won a record third Melbourne cup, ahead of On A Jeune and Xcellent. During the presentation of the Melbourne Cup, owner Tony Santic announced that Makybe Diva would "retire from racing as of today".
Race Record
Major victories include: