Forgive me for harping about the lack of substance in the modern-day thoroughbred,with a couple of exceptions,particularly from what was regarded as the weaker gender,but compare those successful in the Craiglee,the original name of the weight-for-age race,from 1960 to 1980 with the line-up of the past 20 years.
Certainly the Mighty Rabbits,also featuring elsewhere on Saturday,are closer to the greats of the 60’s. And we take heart that Blake Taaffe,the possible bomb-disposal expert against the Panthers,has the bloodlines for the task,being the grandson of “Lummy”,Kevin Longbottom,who graced the red and greens with aplomb at the time.
Mind you,the corresponding Theo Marks,the main event at Kembla Grange considering the three-year-old class is under a cloud,is strong but not 60’s standard:Try Time And Tide,(two) Cabochon,and Nausari. Still,Winx notched the Theo Marks in 2015 and,like Makybe Diva,was a champion.
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According to Form Focus,notable winners from the Makybe Divas (60-80) were:Lord (1961),Aquanita (1962),Light Fingers (1965),Tobin Bronze (1966),Rain Lover (1969),Dual Choice (1971),Gay Icarus (1973),and Ming Dynasty (1977) - against the 20’s:Northerly (2002),Weekend Hussler,and Fawkner (2015). I’ll add Shocking (2010) to the list but it lacks the same impact.
Despite the Makybe Diva title the race has hardly been a happy hunting ground for mares. In fact,only one,Southern Speed,under Craig Williams,has scored in the past 24 years. Williams handles Tofane,one of the strong fancies on Saturday,against others with strong credentials like Colette and Inspirational Girl.