AUSTRALIA's leading trainers have urged connections of champion staying mare Makybe Diva and trainer Lee Freedman to fly the Australian flag internationally next year.
After winning Saturday's $3 million Cox Plate at Moonee Valley to become the highest-earning Australasian thoroughbred with $11.4 million, surpassing Sunline's $11.3m, David Hayes and Gai Waterhouse joined the growing chorus of racing people pushing for Makybe Diva to be given another chance to take on the world. They also believe the seven-year-old should run in tomorrow week's $5m Melbourne Cup and attempt to win the 3200-metre handicap for an unprecedented third consecutive time.
A decision on a Cup run for the $3.50 favourite will be made this week by owner Tony Santic and Freedman, who has trained four Melbourne Cup winners.
Makybe Diva has had one failed overseas campaign, to Japan, but she was in season and was neither suited by her environment nor the hard surface of the track.
"Makybe Diva is the best staying horse I've seen, that I can remember. The likes of Tulloch (36 wins from 53 starts) and that are such a long time ago, but this mare is phenomenal.
"If she was mine, I would run in the Melbourne Cup again. They are in the paddock for the rest of their lives and she's in career-best form. She is superb, she is awesome."
Hayes described Makybe Diva as a superstar. "She's a lot higher than I ever had her (marked)," Hayes said. "She dominated the race, went past good horses, too good. I'd go to the Melbourne Cup with her, but I hope she doesn't."
Graeme Rogerson, who won last year's Cox Plate with Savabeel, said: "I think she'll win another Melbourne Cup. You wouldn't like to be backing one to beat her."
Rogerson, who has run a stable in Dubai, described her as world-class. "She'll run well on grass over there," Rogerson said. "The only problem I could see is that the track can be very firm."
Waterhouse had her best result in a Cox Plate when her four-year-old mare Lotteria finished second, going one better than All Our Mob's close third to Saintly and Filante in 1996.
Lotteria, part-owned by Western Bulldogs AFL club president David Smorgon who missed the race as he was in Chicago on business, may have one more Melbourne run in this campaign, against her own sex at Flemington.
"The old boy ran the race of his life," Hayes said of his eight-year-old Fields Of Omagh, who is likely to be aimed at the Sandown Classic on Saturday fortnight.
Hayes was pleased with Confectioner's effort on the slow ground and he will run on Saturday at Flemington on his way to the Melbourne Cup. "He really settled and relaxed," Hayes said. "He just didn't enjoy it when Makybe smoked up. He smoked up but she smoked past him. It's a bit intimidating for some horses."
Peter Moody, trainer of fourth placegetter Sky Cuddle, described the winner as freakish. "My mare raced her heart out but she's soon off to Redoute's Choice," Moody said. "Whether we run her once more, or call it a day? We'll sleep on it."
This is cache, read story here