The countdown to the Ladbrokes Cox Plate is well and truly heating up with Flemington host a key lead-up this weekend. It is a diminutive but top-class edition of the Makybe Diva Stakes with just six spring stars for us to sort through.
We may be missing the emphatic Memsie winner Treasurethe Moment who has a mild case of colic, but the line-up remains elite and is headlined by the Via Sistina vs. Aeliana rematch.
Waller’s two stars went head-to-head and ran the quinella in Sydney’s Winx Stakes last time out, and they now dominate betting on the Group 1 $750,000 Makybe Diva Stakes up over a mile at HQ on Saturday.
So, will our Australian Racehorse of the Year collect her 11th Group 1 trophy or is there an upset pending?
Read on for our expert runner-by-runner guide to the 2025 Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington on Saturday!
Top 2 – No. 5 Via Sistina
Top 3 – No. 6 Aeliana
Top 4 – No. 2 Tom Kitten
| 6. Aeliana (5) J: Damian Lane 56.5kg 421×2T: Chris Waller | ||
| 5. Via Sistina (2) J: James McDonald 57kg 111×1T: Chris Waller | ||
| 2. Tom Kitten (6) J: Ben Melham 59kg 1573xT: Anthony & Sam Freedman |
1. MR BRIGHTSIDE (1) – Ben, Will & JD Hayes
Odds: $5.50 (at time of publish)
Lindsay Park stalwart Mr B is chasing his historical third straight Makybe Diva Stakes win, a feat no horse has achieved to date.
The eight-year-old son of Bullbars is a gun over the Flemington mile (10:4-2-1) as proven by his back-to-back wins in this event.
He shocked plenty of punters last year winning second-up by a half-length in a race where Via Sistina was found out by the Heavy track running a distant fifth.
After a failed Hong Kong stint last year running dead last (13th) in the Champions Mile, he showed he wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet with a solid return in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 30.
He was next best past the post behind the emphatic winner Treasurethe Moment and got the tick of approval from jockey Craig Williams who hinted at improvement to come.
Williams sticks on one of his favourite horses here, and the gelding has a terrific second-up record (8:6-1-0).
Drawn the rails, he’ll be on pace and ticks plenty of boxes, but does face some stiff competition.
Top 4.
2. TOM KITTEN (6) – Anthony & Sam Freedman
Odds: $11 (at time of publish)
We’re all biting at the bit to get a look at the now five-year-old Godolphin galloper Tom Kitten after he was scratched at the gates in the Memsie.
His rescheduled first-up run has him straight to a mile now as he officially runs for Anthony & Sam Freedman for the first time.
This exciting son of Harry Angel beat Mr B home in the All-Star Mile at this track and trip back in March, and he was far from disgraced when closing out that prep with a nice third only 2.5 lengths off Via Sistina in Randwick’s Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).
With such a small field barrier six is a non-issue, Ben Melham is the right hoop on the right horse, and he’ll be keen to get things underway.
Can he prove his star status with enough fitness to make up the ground from midfield? We’ll see. But he does look excellent value for a Top 3 performance as one of the underrated runners in the mix.
For more on the spring ahead for Tom Kitten make sure you also check out our The Spring Prospect Watchlist: From Lap Cat to Track Star!
3. ANTINO (4) – Tony Gollan
Odds: $7.50 (at time of publish)
Tony Gollan’s Brisbane visitor Antino is another out of the traditional lead-up, the Memsie Stakes, looking to improve on his run fresh.
The Doomben Cup champion from the winter crossed 4.4 lengths off the winner in his spring campaign kick-off with jockey Blake Shinn giving him a “pass mark”.
The seven-year-old son of Redwood is much better suited to 1600m (9:3-3-2) but is winless from three Flemington starts to date.
He is however a second-up specialist (6:4-0-1) getting his chance from barrier four with conditions to suit this backmarker.
Not sure how he’ll stack-up considering there were better runs out of the Memsie, and he’s a little short for mine to take with any confidence.
4. MARK TWAIN (3) – Roger James & Robert Wellwood
Odds: $101 (at time of publish)
Kiwi raider Mark Twain is the rank outsider in Makybe Diva betting at 100/1, and he’s only had the one run since his win here at HQ in last year’s Roy Higgins.
The Roger James & Robert Wellwood trained son of former Melbourne Cup champ Shocking was disappointing when making his return off a lengthy let off.
He carted 57.5kg on a Heavy (10) at Te Rapa on August 9, a tough ask no doubt, but failed to come within 10 lengths of the winner that day over 1200m.
That said, this is a horse whose four career wins have been between 1600m and 2600m, so the six-furlongs was never going to suit.
He is proven at the track and has class having run third to Mahrajaan in the 2024 Group 2 Auckland Cup over two miles but at WFA against these equine athletes the triple figures are justified.
5. VIA SISTINA (2) – Chris Waller
Odds: $2 (at time of publish)
From the roughie of the field to our short-priced favourite, Via Sistina is the one to beat hands down.
This record breaking eight-year-old daughter of Fastnet Rock just continues to deliver and doesn’t look like slowing down anytime soon as she heads towards her Ladbrokes Cox Plate title defence.
What she has done in 25 career starts has been nothing short of sensational.
She proved her versatility silencing the doubters when stepping out fresh on a bottomless Heavy (10) Randwick track to hold off Aeliana by a narrow margin in the Winx Stakes and take her Group 1 tally into double-figures.
Yes, she was well beaten in this race last year, but she’ll get better conditions this time around and can atone.
Her subsequent two Flemington assignments produced wins in the Turnbull and Champions Stakes, the latter by 2.75 lengths, so she has ticked the course box.
J-Mac stays on from an ideal barrier two draw and, while she has been beaten second-up more than she’s won, this champ is going great guns and is pretty hard to bet against.
6. AELIANA (5) – Chris Waller
Odds: $3.50 (at time of publish)
The stable’s five-length Australian Derby winning filly is the obvious danger after she came so close fresh only narrowly denied in the Winx Stakes over 1400m.
She absolutely ran out of her skin to challenge Via that day and should have plenty of upside having her second start as a more mature four-year-old mare now.
Notes from her hoop in the Winx, Jason Collett, suggested she was a “bit fresh and tardy out of the gates” so, we can only wonder if she’d had a little more fitness and a clean jump exactly how close she would have come.
No more wondering! Let’s see what she does now up to the 1600m with her Derby winning hoop Damian Lane coming back aboard from gate five.
Check out more reasons why Aeliana is an emerging star in the making in our The Spring Prospect Watchlist: Derby Queen Ready for More!
Happy punting!
Don’t forget to check out our The Punters’ Playbook: Flemington Spring Carnival Deep Dive for the inside word on the jockeys, trainers and races to watch over the following months!
All 2025 Makybe Diva Stakes odds are correct at time of publish and subject to change at any time without notice.