Makybe Diva wins third Melbourne Cup

Makybe Diva, brilliantly ridden by Glen Boss, won yesterday's 145th running of the Melbourne Cup to become the first horse to triumph three times in Australia's greatest race. The seven-year-old mare enhanced her reputation as one of the country's...

Makybe Diva, brilliantly ridden by Glen Boss, won yesterday's 145th running of the Melbourne Cup to become the first horse to triumph three times in Australia's greatest race.

The seven-year-old mare enhanced her reputation as one of the country's greatest racehorses with a barnstorming finish in the gruelling A$5 million (US$3.8 million) 3,200-metre handicap at Flemington. After settling midfield, Makybe Diva burst to the front 200m from the line, then sprinted clear to a thunderous ovation from a crowd of 106,479 and a national audience of millions.

"What she did today was one of the greatest sporting events ever witnessed in Australia," said Makybe's trainer, Lee Freedman.

Makybe Diva's owner, Croatian-born tuna fisherman Tony Santic, stunned the crowd by announcing he had decided to immediately retire the horse, allowing her to bow out on top.

Her unusual name was drawn from the initial letters of the first names of five women employees in Santic's office - Maureen, Kylie, Belinda, Diane and Vanessa - but is now permanently etched in Australian racing folklore.

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