MAKYBE DIVA STAKES
1600m, $750,000, weight-for-age
HISTORY
* First run in 1948 when won by Lungi
* Group One from 2013. Run over 2000m 1948-64. Until 2006 known as Craiglee Stakes
NOTABLE WINNERS
* Comic Court (1949), Chicquita (1950/51), Sailor’s Guide (1956/57), Light Fingers (1965), Rain Lover (1969), Dulcify (1979), Zabeel (1990), Mahogany (1994), Jeune (1995), Northerly (2002), Weekend Hussler (2008), Fawkner (2015), Palentino (2016), Humidor (2017), Grunt (2018)
TALKING POINTS
* Mystic Journey will be aiming to stretch her unbeaten sequence to eight, stretching back to last spring
* Mystic Journey will also be attempting to maintain an unbeaten 1600m record at Flemington following wins in the Australian Guineas and All-Star Mile
* Scales Of Justice won Melbourne’s first Group One race of the season, the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield. The Makybe Diva is the second Group One on Saturday
* Humidor is attempting to win the race for the second time having been successful in 2017
* Gailo Chop is resuming from an almost 18 month break. He finished fourth to Humidor in 2017
* The Lloyd and Nick Williams-owned Fawkner won in 2015 for Robert Hickmott. The father-and-son team have Yucatan resuming for Liam Howley
* The Lindsay Park stable is looking to breakthrough for their first win in the race since 2005 when Confectioner won and will be represented by Rostropovich, Fifty Stars and Qafila
* Godolphin has yet to record a victory and will be represented by Hartnell for James Cummings
WHAT THE KEY PLAYERS ARE SAYING:
“I think she’s in really good order so she’s going to give a really accurate account of herself. We’re confident she’s good enough and we’re hopeful that’s the case” – Mystic Journey’s trainer Adam Trinder
“We think he can run a competitive race, but there’s a good one in the race which will make it a bit hard” – co-trainer Ben Hayes on Rostropovich who runs for the first time for Lindsay Park
“The other day was great so while he’s in the vein of form he’s in he can take that mare on” – trainer Lindsey Smith on tackling Mystic Journey with last start Memsie Stakes winner Scales Of Justice
“For an older horse that has had a long lay-off, you just can’t replace the match fitness no matter how much you do at home. I would think if he was finishing in the first half on Saturday that would certainly be a pass mark,” – Gailo Chop’s trainer Matthew Williams
“Last time in he won first-up over 1400 metres. He’s had the grounding for it but there’s nothing like match fitness” – trainer Phillip Stokes on the first-up chances of Mr Quickie
Credit: AAP