Makybe Diva Stakes Tips - Via Sistina to stamp class at Flemington

The six-horse field may be small, but it is stacked with star power. Champion mare Via Sistina ($1.90 fav) headlines the market and will be partnered by James McDonald, who makes his seasonal return to Flemington after a record-breaking Cup Carnival last year. 

McDonald has been aboard for seven of her nine Group 1 wins, including the Cox Plate (2040m) and Champions Stakes (2000m) at Flemington, and the Chris Waller-trained mare looks to have returned as strong as ever after an impressive first-up victory in the Winx Stakes.

Her main rival on paper is Aeliana ($3.90), who ran Via Sistina to a neck in the Winx and looks every bit the emerging star. The four-year-old continues to improve with each run and is expected to push the favourite again. 

Mr Brightside ($6) will be out to claim an historic third straight win in the Makybe Diva. The Lindsay Park team is balancing his campaign towards the King Charles III Stakes (1600m) in Sydney next month, but Flemington has proven a happy hunting ground. He returned with a solid runner-up in the Memsie Stakes (1400m) and is renowned for improving sharply second-up. 

Last year, he handled rain-affected ground to dominate this very race, and while the Cox Plate is not on his agenda this spring, another Makybe Diva crown would only add to his remarkable legacy. 

Queenslander Antino ($6) also lines up, while Tom Kitten ($11) resumes after missing the Memsie Stakes and could surprise fresh. Mark Twain ($126) rounds out the field and shapes as the outsider of the contest.

Mr Brightside might be the one to lead them up and has drawn the inside barrier. This could be a stop-start affair and develop into a sprint home. Via Sistina draws barrier 2 and is the most logical contender to camp behind Mr Brightside. Tom Kitten draws barrier 6 and might be the one to sit outside Mr Brightside with Aeliana behind him, while Mark Twain and Antino tend to go back. 

Via Sistina is a clear top pick. Interestingly, her worst start in Australia came in this very race last year when battling into 5th position behind Mr Brightside, beaten more than six lengths. That did come on a Heavy track and she rebounded with two wins at the track, as well as her stunning triumph in the Cox Plate. There are sprinkles of rain forecast for Melbourne in the lead up to the race but we should be racing on either a Good surface or something just in the Soft range. She showed her star qualities when edging out Aeliana at Randwick last time and was an eight-length improver on benchmark figures when second up in the autumn, taking out the Verry Elleegant Stakes (1600m) at Randwick. Expect her to be within striking distance in the middle stages and stamp her authority late in the piece. 

Hard to find value in the six-horse field. Tom Kitten has improved as he has matured and since he has been gelded and found career best form in the early stages of his last preparation when an unlucky runner-up in the Futurity Stakes (1400m) behind Mr Brightside before defeating that horse in the All-Star Mile at the track and trip. He went 10 lengths faster than standard benchmark in each of his first two runs in the autumn and anything near that mark will see him be very competitive.