Makybe Diva was crowned Queen of the Australian Turf at the Horse Of The Year awards on Wednesday night, winning Australian Champion racehorse for the second year in a row, plus three other awards. The title of "Australian Champion" as opposed to "Horse of the Year" suggests that Australian racing is keen to devalue the "champion" tag by using it annually on our best horses, whether they are vastly superior to the opposition or not. This is not a slur on Makybe Diva, but Australian racing has also set a dangerous precedent by inducting her into the Hall Of Fame so quickly after retirement. Her recent high rating in the media as the best ever since Phar Lap will slowly decline as time wears on, just as it had for horses of the calibre such as Dulcify, Bonecrusher and Vo Rogue. The aforementioned were indeed champions in their own right, but time has certainly declined their greatness from the "aura" surrounding them immediately after retirement (or in Dulcify's case, being put down). Makybe Diva is a great champion and deserves her place in the Hall Of Fame, but Trackdata suggests that her current standing as one of the greatest ever is certain to slowly recede over time. Winning three Melbourne Cups is a fantasic achievement, but is Think Big considered a superstar for winning two in a row? Despite winning six of her first seven starts, her winning percentage is less than 50% (41.6% to be exact). She won only twice outside of her home state, and was not able to win internationally. At six starts below 2000m at WFA, she was only able to win once. Her victory in the Cox Plate was on her favoured track conditions against substandard quality, but perhaps no less than what Sunline faced in 2000. Her memorable victory in the Tancred Stakes will remain in the minds of all who were there at Rosehill to witness her, just as it will for those at any of her Melbourne Cup victories or Cox Plate triumph. She will always be remembered as a champion stayer and a champion mare, and deservingly so. But the best since Phar Lap? Let's revisit that assertion in ten years time. Kevin Skene, TRACKDATA, 21/10/2006 |
THE DIVA IS RUSHED INTO GREATNESS