Makybe Diva: When the nation stood still

It was the moment that defined a race, a career, and an era. History was made when Makybe Diva swept home to claim her third Melbourne Cup in 2005. Less than an hour later, owner Tony Santic announced her retirement – the mare had reached the summit, with no more mountains left to climb.

Over the years, Glen Boss has often reflected on that extraordinary day. He still insists there has been no greater feeling than when Makybe Diva lengthened her stride in the Flemington straight, carrying a record 58 kilograms for a mare, and stormed into the record books.

That triumph followed her wins in 2003 (with 51kg) and 2004 (55.5kg), making Boss the only jockey to secure three Cups on the same horse. It was perfection delivered, three years in a row.
Boss’s bond with Makybe Diva endures, as inseparable as Hugh Bowman with Winx or Luke Nolen with Black Caviar.

He admits he mentions her almost daily – and never tires of doing so.
On many trips with the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour, Boss has spoken about the great mare. It might seem he’s run out of superlatives, but he hasn’t.

The VRC’s media department captured Glen Boss’s reflections on Makybe Diva’s historic 2005 Melbourne Cup not long after his retirement in 2021.

“Relaying the experience of the 2005 Melbourne Cup is hard to do,” Boss said. “I truly thought after she won the Cox Plate ten days earlier, this was probably it for her. She didn’t recover immediately, but halfway through the week, Lee (Freedman) rang me.

“He said you’ve got to get down here (to Markdel on the Mornington Peninsula) … this mare has gained six kilos and is thriving.

“I went down to Markdel and rode her in a track gallop. It was an odd-shaped track, but at the end she stopped at the top of a hill, took one big gasp and blew. I knew she was back.

“Lee wanted one more gallop (two days later) on Derby Day morning at Mornington as a final workout. Her work was enormous … track clockers who had been there a very long time hadn’t seen anything like it before.

“It sounds odd but I sort of knew she’d win at that point. I was extremely confident going to Flemington and had the best of sleeps the night before. I was incredibly relaxed on the day.”

That Cup day saw records fall: she became the first horse to win three Cups and carried a mare’s record 58kg to victory, surpassing her benchmark from the year before.

“It was surreal, to be quite honest,” Boss recalled. “When we were approaching for home, I could feel her break stride for a second or two before surging forward.

“It was an amazing feeling and in the process I could even hear Greg Miles’ call. Everything sort of went quiet … it was extraordinary.“As I crossed the line it was like a slideshow. Everything came flashing through to me, a hundred shots going through my brain. It took me until the 1400-metre mark to pull her up.

“The emotion started to pour out and I wanted everyone to see how good she was.

“After speaking with Lettsy (dual Melbourne Cup-winning jockey John Letts) on return to scale, I took Makybe Diva towards the fence and looked back at the crowd (106,000 attendance). She pricked her ears as if to say ‘how good am I?’. It was amazing.”

“I’ve been blessed,” said Boss, who remains the only jockey to win three Melbourne Cups on the same horse.

For Boss, securing a third victory in the Cup demanded a perfect ten out of ten effort; however, all three wins required the same level of effort and, curiously, each was won by just a length and a quarter. It was as if she understood what was needed to defeat her rivals. If nothing else, she knew where the finish line was.

Boss might have been battling his doubts in that first Cup, especially considering that just five years earlier, he narrowly lost the Cup aboard Champagne to another New Zealand-bred horse, Jezabeel. On that occasion, the margin was just a neck separating the pair. There were excuses, but would he ever have another chance to ride a Melbourne Cup winner? For some, it is a fleeting opportunity, and when it’s gone … it can seem permanently closed.

In 2003, it was a victory that trainer David Hall, owner Tony Santic, and jockey Glen Boss had been striving towards for over twelve months.

A year earlier, Makybe Diva announced herself as an emerging star by winning the Queen Elizabeth Stakes on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, following her victory in the Werribee Cup. She was a horse that had been developed gradually through the grades.

But as each challenge was presented, she overcame it with ease. Yet, the question remained: could she step up enough to conquer the toughest two miles on turf anywhere in the world?

A respectable fourth place in the Caulfield Cup just 17 days prior only boosted confidence. On Cup Day in 2003, carrying 51kg, she proved tempting to pick. She started at 7/1 and received heavy support at The Call of Card function in Melbourne the day before. And Santic backed her.

Ultimately, Makybe Diva proved too strong for She’s Archie and Jardine’s Lookout. Soon after, several changes occurred. Trainer David Hall was offered a licence in Hong Kong, and owner Tony Santic needed a new trainer. Who better than Lee Freedman, a top trainer with a private training facility at Markdel on the Mornington Peninsula, which he ran with his brothers?

Some argue that had it not been for the change in environment, history might have unfolded differently. It was as if the shift aligned with her growth, helping her to continue developing into one of the finest stayers this country has ever seen.

Wins in the Sydney Cup in the autumn of 2004 led to another attempt at the Cup. A 55kg impost meant surpassing Empire Rose’s record for a mare, set at 53.5kg in 1988. She was only the eleventh mare to win the Melbourne Cup in 143 years. Back-to-back victories seemed unlikely.

Add in Vinnie Roe, the four-time Irish St Leger winner considered the best stayer in training, and another stellar performance was expected. Once again, she delivered, defeating the Irish legend by a length and a quarter.

Since retiring, Makybe Diva has produced ten foals and now enjoys life away from the breeding barn, making occasional visits to Flemington. The most recent came on Makybe Diva Stakes Day, when Mr Brightside became the first horse to win the race three times – a fitting echo of the Diva’s achievements.

That day, the original trio of Tony Santic (owner), David Hall (trainer in 2003) and Glen Boss (2003–2005) were there to relive the memories, two decades later. It brought to mind Lee Freedman’s famous words on that unforgettable day in 2005:

“Go and find the youngest child here, as that child might be the only person who lives long enough to see something like that again.”

Twenty years later, it seems no less true.