Melbourne Cup and Cox Plate heroine Makybe Diva has joined another elite club after being elevated to Legend status in the Australian Racing Hall of Fame on Sunday evening.
The only horse to win three Cups, Makybe Diva joins immortals Phar Lap (2007), Bart Cummings (2008) and Scobie Breasley (2009) as those bestowed racing’s highest honour.

The champion mare was unveiled as the Staging Connections Legend at the 2010 Australian Racehorse of the Year and Hall of Fame Awards at Melbourne’s Crown Palladium.

The awards ceremony, which was presented by Sky Racing World, Tabcorp and Staging Connections, also saw seven racing icons inducted into the Hall Of Fame.

The Commotion Creative Hall of Fame Horse inductees were Sky High and Northerly, the Michelton Wines Hall Of Fame Trainers inductees were Harry Plant and Jim Atkins, the AustralianSuper Hall of Fame Jockey inductees were William “Billy” Pyers and John Letts, whilst the Crown Towers Hall of Fame Associate inductee was Henry Byron Moore.

The evening also saw Victorian racing’s glamour girl Typhoon Tracy anointed the 2010 Sky Racing World Australian Racehorse of the Year.

Makybe Diva, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006, was owned by Emily Kristina (Aust) Pty Ltd Syndicate (Manager: Tony Santic) and was trained by David Hall and then Lee Freedman.

The UK-bred daughter of Desert King raced 36 times and amassed 15 wins, seven placings and an Australian record $14,526,685 in prize money.

She is now forging a career as a broodmare with her first foal, three-year-old Rockstardom, making its debut at Geelong last month.

Following is a snapshot of Makybe Diva’s racetrack deeds together with profiles of the 2010 Hall of Fame inductees;

STAGING CONNECTIONS RACING HALL OF FAME LEGEND AWARD – MAKYBE DIVA

Makybe Diva’s rise to the highest pinnacle of Australian racing began modestly, with wins at provincial tracks Victorian tracks Wangaratta and Salle, but victory quickly followed in the 2002 Listed Werribee Cup and the Group 2 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at her sixth and seventh starts respectively. 

A year later, after a dashing fourth in the Caulfield Cup, she was not produced again until the Melbourne Cup which she won decisively. Taken to Sydney for the 2004 autumn carnival, she won the Sydney Cup, becoming the first horse since Galilee in 1966-67 to win the Melbourne and Sydney Cups in the same season.

Makybe Diva’s 2004 spring campaign was highlighted by her narrow half-head defeat in the Caulfield Cup and her second victory in the Melbourne Cup – her first for new trainer Lee Freedman. In winning, she became the fifth horse to claim two Melbourne Cups, the fourth horse to consecutive Melbourne Cup and the first mare to accomplish the feat.  

2005 was a succession of triumphs for Makybe Diva with wins in the Australian Cup, BMW Stakes, Memsie Stakes, Turnbull Stakes, Cox Plate and a record breaking third Melbourne Cup triumph.

Freedman famously said after the victory, “Go and find the smallest child on the racecourse because he might be the only one to see it happen again”.

Not surprisingly, Makybe Diva was rated the best filly/mare in the world and the best horse of any sex beyond 2700 metres in that year’s World Thoroughbred Rankings.

• Makybe Diva (pedigree) and (race record)

COMMOTION CREATIVE HALL OF FAME HORSE INDUCTEES

Northerly – In the care of Fred Kersley, Northerly excelled under weight-for-age and handicap conditions with two Cox Plates, a Caulfield Cup, an Australian Cup and the Railway Stakes amongst his feature haul. His outstanding feats saw him named the Australian Racehorse of the Year in 2003.

Sky High – A brilliant horse who excelled from 1000 to 2500 metres and amassed an astonishing 29 wins and 19 minor placings from 55 starts. A winner of the Golden Slipper and Victoria Derby for trainer Jack Green, he enjoyed a stellar season in 1961 with victories in the Lightning Stakes, Futurity Stakes, Caulfield Stakes, Mackinnon Stakes, Canterbury Stakes and the Epsom Handicap.

CROWN TOWERS HALL OF FAME ASSOCIATE INDUCTEE

Henry Byron Moore – Served as the Secretary of the VRC for 44 years from 1882 to 1925 and was instrumental in establishing many of the facilities and attractions that make Flemington one of the great
racecourses of the world including the members’ drive and the famous rose plantings.   Moore has also been acknowledged as the visionary responsible for Oaks Day being recognised today as ‘Ladies Day’.

MICHELTON WINES HALL OF FAME TRAINER INDUCTEES

Harry Plant – Best known for his training feats with inaugural Hall of Fame inductee Bernborough who won 15 races in succession. Plant’s feature race wins included four Doncaster Handicaps, two Golden Slippers, three AJC Sires Produce Stakes, a Newmarket Handicap, Futurity Stakes, Oakleigh Plate, Stradbroke Handicap and a Doomben Cup.

Jim Atkins – A member of one of the most prominent racing families in northern New South Wales, Atkins achieved his ambition of winning the Brisbane trainers’ premiership in 1971-72. He won a further three premierships and was a regular fixture in the top 10 over the next 25 years. Atkins’ stable of stars included Dalrello, Grey Affair, Prince Ruling, Just Now, Mr Cromwell and Rock Show.

AUSTRALIANSUPER HALL OF FAME JOCKEY INDUCTEES

William “Billy” Pyers – Pyers had a remarkable start to his career - by the time he’d turned 24 in 1957 he’d won the Adelaide jockeys’ premiership seven times. He won further titles in 1959-60 and 1960-61 and counts the Caulfield Cup, Newmarket Handicap and Golden Slipper Stakes amongst his feature wins. Pyers then embarked on a successful career in Europe with his international victories including two King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, as well as the 1967 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

John Letts – In a career spanning over 30 years, Letts rode 2350 winners. His total of 97 Cup wins, 30 in the city and 67 in the country, has never been matched and includes two Melbourne Cups (Piping Lane 1972, Belldale Ball 1980), three Adelaide Cups, an Australian Cup, a Moonee Valley Cup and a Hobart Cup.  In 1972-73 he won the first of his eight Adelaide jockeys premierships.

Permalink| Sep 6, 2010

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