The Makybe Diva Stakes has become one of the standout races of the Australian spring, with a history that spans generations of elite thoroughbreds.
Run at Flemington over the 1600-metre course, the Group 1 weight-for-age event consistently attracts high-class horses and has produced an impressive list of champions throughout its history.
We take a closer look at the Makybe Diva Stakes winners over the past 20 years and beyond.
Recent Makybe Diva Stakes Winners
The Makybe Diva Stakes has produced some quality winners over the last 20 years, including three-time champion Mr Brightside, who made this race his own.
Here are the last 20 Makybe Diva Stakes winners:
- 2025 – Mr Brightside
- 2024 – Mr Brightside
- 2023 – Mr Brightside
- 2022 – I’m Thunderstruck
- 2021 – Incentivise
- 2020 – Fierce Impact
- 2019 – Gatting
- 2018 – Grunt
- 2017 – Humidor
- 2016 – Palentino
- 2015 – Fawkner
- 2014 – Dissident
- 2013 – Foreteller
- 2012 – Southern Speed
- 2011 – Littorio
- 2010 – Shocking
- 2009 – Vigor
- 2008 – Weekend Hustler
- 2007 – Marasco
- 2006 – Pompeii Ruler
- 2005 – Confectioner
Northerly is a quality Makybe Diva Stakes winner. Following his Makybe Diva Stakes win in 2002, the champion continued his outstanding spring campaign by claiming both the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate.
Shocking produced another memorable result in 2010. He used his Makybe Diva Stakes victory as a springboard to Melbourne Cup glory later that year.
More recently, Incentivise won in 2021 before adding the Turnbull Stakes and Caulfield Cup to his record. His career was cut short, but he made a big impact on the track, and he could have won many more Group 1 races.
Mr Brightside stands out as a three-time winner, and it’s not easy to win a Group 1 contest in three straight years.
The Makybe Diva Stakes past winners list features many quality winners, so who will add their name to the list this year?
Notable Makybe Diva Stakes Winners
Northerly is a notable Makybe Diva Stakes winner. The star galloper out of the west won the Makybe Diva Stakes in 2002 before going on to capture the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate during the same spring.
Shocking also turned a Makybe Diva Stakes win into a memorable spring campaign. After taking out the 2010 edition, he secured victory in the Melbourne Cup later that year.
Incentivise followed a similarly impressive path in 2021, adding the Turnbull Stakes and Caulfield Cup after his Makybe Diva Stakes success.
The race has consistently attracted horses of genuine Group 1 calibre, and its impressive list of past winners shows how hard it is to win.
Makybe Diva Stakes History
The Makybe Diva Stakes is a major feature of the early Melbourne Spring Carnival, attracting some of the country’s leading gallopers to Flemington.
The race has been a fixture of Australian racing for more than seven decades. It was first run in 1948 under the name Craiglee Stakes and was initially contested over 2000 metres. The distance was changed to the current 1600 metres in 1965.
The event was renamed the Makybe Diva Stakes in 2007 in honour of the legendary mare who won three consecutive Melbourne Cups. It was elevated from Group 2 to Group 1 status in 2013.