Makybe Diva Stakes 2026 Odds, Betting & Race Preview

Looking for this year’s top Makybe Diva Stakes betting markets, odds and form guide? The betting pros at Neds have put together everything you need to know.

Makybe Diva Stakes 2026 Results

The official 2026 Makybe Diva Stakes results will be available below once the race takes place on Saturday, September 12, 2026.

Sheza Alibi ($1.60F) reinforced her position as one of the standout mares of the spring with a commanding second‑up victory in the 2026 Makybe Diva Stakes results, delivering a composed and authoritative performance to secure her third Group 1 win over the mile. The Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman‑trained star travelled comfortably throughout before quickening decisively at the top of the straight, powering clear to defeat Autumn Boy by 2.75 lengths, with $101 outsider Another Wil running a bold third. Already a Randwick Guineas and Doncaster Mile winner, Sheza Alibi’s latest success further cements her status as a major force of the carnival, her tactical speed and strong finishing burst pointing to another big campaign ahead. The $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) at Randwick on October 31 shapes as her most likely target, where she currently sits as the $1.60 favourite, while options such as the Cox Plate and Epsom Handicap also remain firmly on the table for the versatile four‑year‑old.

2026 Makybe Diva Stakes Race Replay

2026 Makybe Diva Stakes Odds & Finishing Order

The 2026 Makybe Diva Stakes odds are already taking shape as punters assess which proven weight‑for‑age stars and emerging spring contenders are ready to fire over the famous Flemington mile. Early Makybe Diva Stakes odds at Neds typically favour elite milers with strong WFA credentials, horses showing sharp trial form, and runners from powerhouse stables targeting major spring features. With Cups‑bound stayers resuming, Cox Plate hopefuls stepping out, and market movers signalling early confidence, Makybe Diva Stakes betting 2026 offers punters a crucial read on the new season’s top‑end talent. Tracking tempo influences, second‑up improvement and key barrier advantages is essential for finding early value before the field locks in and the spring narrative begins to unfold.

Makybe Diva Stakes 2026 Tips

Our insider 2026 Makybe Diva Stakes tips will be detailed here the week of the Group 1 spring lead-up and a complete Makybe Diva Stakes tips post available on the Neds Blog.

Latest Makybe Diva Stakes News

Horse Racing

2026 Makybe Diva Stakes Day Tips & Preview

11 Sep • Ryan Cook

We’re back to Headquarters this Saturday with 10 races, including the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes, making up the program at Flemington. The Melbourne Spring Carnival is officially in full swing, and we’ll be treated to a quality feature race over the mile with three-peat champion Mr Brightside taking on the short-priced Sheza Alibi and recent Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner, Sir Delius. The Group 2 Bobbie Lewis Quality and Let’s Elope Stakes add further intrigue to an important day of racing, with some key chances targeting bigger races as the spring progresses. The weather in Melbourne is fine, and the…

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Horse Racing

Makybe Diva Stakes 2026 Form Guide & Runner Analysis

10 Sep • Darren Cole

The Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes runs this Saturday at Flemington, and we have a Makybe Diva Stakes form guide 2026. A field of 13 runners has accepted to run in the $750,000 feature, with Makybe Diva Stakes odds available at Neds. Our form guide features a runner-by-runner analysis for the big race. #1 Mr Brightside It’s difficult to dismiss the reigning champion as he attempts to make it four Makybe Diva Stakes victories in succession. He remains a major player in this field, and the double-figure quote makes him a good bet. His odds could firm throughout the week,…

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Horse Racing

Makybe Diva Stakes 2026 Final Field, Barriers & Runners

10 Sep • Darren Cole

The Makybe Diva Stakes final field for 2026 has been confirmed, and it’s a stellar field for the Group 1 feature this Saturday at Flemington. The Makybe Diva Stakes barrier draw is out, and some of the favoured runners have drawn well for the 1600m feature race. Makybe Diva Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw Flemington R8 – Crown Makybe Diva Stakes (G1) Open Race time:  1. Mr Brightside (2) J: Blake Shinn 59kg 125×2T: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes 9.50WIN 2.40PLACE Second run back. First-up after 10 months sat on the pace when 2nd of 12 in the G1…

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Horse Racing

Makybe Diva Stakes 2026 Betting Tips, Predictions & Favourites

10 Sep • Lucy Henderson

The opening Group 1 mile race of the Melbourne spring takes over Flemington Racecourse this weekend, and with a star-studded field of weight-for-age champions doing battle, Neds are here with our expert Makybe Diva Stakes 2026 betting tips, predictions and favourites. The $750,000 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) has once again attracted a serious line‑up of spring heavyweights, and punters are in for a beauty. The race has belonged to Lindsay Park’s iron‑horse Mr Brightside for three straight years, and the nine‑year‑old marvel is back chasing an extraordinary fourth Flemington mile triumph. Standing in his way is the rapidly ascending Sheza…

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The Makybe Diva Stakes is the second elite level feature of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival, the Group 1 mile showdown run over 1600m at the iconic Flemington Racecourse in early to mid-September each season.

A weight-for-age event currently offering $750,000, the Makybe Diva Stakes is one of the first chances to see this season’s most exciting prospects go head-to-head and generally figures as an excellent form predictor leading into the bigger races in October and November.

The Makybe Diva Stakes was formerly known as the Craiglee Stakes before being renamed in 2007 to honour triple Melbourne Cup hero Makybe Diva.

The Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) held the moth before at Caulfield serves as a credible lead-up into the Makybe Diva Stakes, and the double was most recently completed by Mr Brightside (2023) who was the first since Pompeii Ruler (2006).

The opening Group 1 race of the carnival held at Caulfield a fortnight prior, the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) also makes a top lead-up into the Makybe Diva Stakes field with Mr Brightside (2023) also the last to do the double, the first since Dissident (2014) to win both races in the same year.

Inaugurated in 1948, Makybe Diva Stakes has held Group 1 status since 2013 and has been won by plenty of nice horses over the years including Comic Court (1949), Light Fingers (1965), Tobin Bronze (1966), Rose Of Kingston (1982), Northerly (2002), Shocking (2010) who won the previous year’s Melbourne Cup, and subsequent Caulfield Cup champ Incentivise (2021).

Mr Brightside (2023-24) made history as the first two-time Makybe Diva Stakes winner and the first to win the race twice since it became a Group 1 mile event.

Mr Brightside returned for a historic three-peat in 2025 before his distant seventh to Sheza Alibi when lining-up in the event for the fourth year running as a nine-year-old in 2026.

Makybe Diva Stakes 2026 – Fast Facts

• Race Day: Saturday, September 12, 2026
• Track: Flemington Racecourse
• Surface: Turf
• Track: Left-handed
• Distance: 1600m
• Weight Class: Weight for Age
• Qualification: Three-year-olds and over (excluding maidens)
• Type: Thoroughbred
• Grade: Group 1
• Operator: Victoria Racing Club
• Purse: $750,000
• Inaugural Race: 1848
• 2026 Makybe Diva Stakes Winner: Sheza Alibi

Makybe Diva Stakes Betting 2026

There are many different ways to bet on the Makybe Diva Stakes, and we have included some of the most popular options below:

How to Bet on the Makybe Diva Stakes in 2026

1. Join up at neds
2. Make a deposit, using your credit card, PayPal or other safe electronic method
3. Make sure to check out form guide, once it’s released
4. Decide what kind of bet you’re going to place (Win, Place, Each-Way, Trifecta + more betting options, please read our section on Makybe Diva Stakes Betting above).
5. Select the horse(s) for the race.

Which Horse Will Win the Makybe Diva Stakes in 2026

The best way to pick which horse will win the Makybe Diva Stakes in 2026 is to take into account their lead-up Group 1 racing form, assess the barrier draw, and consider their past WFA performances.

Additional factors to consider when selecting the Makybe Diva Stakes winner include:

• Memsie Lead-Up – Looking at runners backing-up off a run in the Memsie Stakes can be key with plenty of recent winners having come out of that earlier Melbourne Group 1 event. The ill-fated I’m Thunderstruck (2nd in 2022) followed by Mr Brightside (1st in 2023 and 2nd in 2024 & 2025) are the latest Makybe Diva Stakes winners to come via a Memsie Stakes lead-up run.
• Back The Boys – Despite the race’s female namesake, Southern Speed (2012) and Sheza Alibi (2026) the only mares to have won the Makybe Diva Stakes since 1996.
• Lay The Favourite – The favourites have a poor record so looking for value further down the markets is key.

Makybe Diva Stakes Favourites 2026

The 2026 Makybe Diva Stakes favourites (at time of publish) include Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman’s class daughter of Saxon Warrior Sheza Alibi who claimed the Randwick Guineas – Doncaster double as a filly in the autumn, the resuming Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Queen Elizabeth Stakes champ Sir Delius who is Cox Plate-bound and three-time defending champion Mr Brightside.

Favourites in Makybe Diva Stakes betting have a poor recent record with just five getting the job done from 2008-23.

Dissident ($2.70 in 2014), Fierce Impact ($4 in 2020), the ill-fated I’m Thunderstruck ($2.60 in 2022), Mr Brightside ($1.85 in 2023) and Sheza Alibi ($1.60 in 2026) are the latest Makybe Diva Stakes favourites to salute for the punters.

Makybe Diva Stakes 2026 Field

The official line-up of horses in the 2026 Makybe Diva Stakes final field will be announced by Racing Victoria the Wednesday of race week and published in full below.

The Makybe Diva Stakes 2026 final field features another high-class field of WFA spring stars including historic three-time champion Mr Brightside chasing his incredible fourth straight win in the race as a nine-year-old.

Makybe Diva Stakes Race Day 2026

Race day takes place on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at Flemington Racecourse. 2026 Makybe Diva Stakes Day features three Group status support acts with the following races also taking place:

• Group 2 $300,000 Let’s Elope Stakes (1400m),
• Group 2 $300,000 Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m), and the
• Group 3 $300,000 Lexus Archer Stakes (2500m) previously held in November for Melbourne Cup hopefuls.

Makybe Diva Stakes 2026 Barrier Draw

The 2026 Makybe Diva Stakes barrier draw takes place following final acceptances on the Wednesday of race week. The official 2026 Makybe Diva Stakes barriers will be available in our above Makybe Diva Stakes Field section.

Makybe Diva Stakes 2026 Nominations

2026 Makybe Diva Stakes nominations are taken the Monday of race week with the full list of early entries to be made available below. 

The 2026 Makybe Diva Stakes nominations attracted 15 classy milers led in all-in betting by Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman’s class, dual Group 1 winning mare Sheza Alibi coming off a brave first-up second to Autumn Glow in Sydney’s Group 1 Winx Stakes.

Makybe Diva Stakes 2026 Weights

Weight-for-age conditions apply with three-year-old fillies allocated the least weight. Final 2026 Makybe Diva Stakes weights will be announced by 4:00 PM on the Tuesday of race week. The official Makybe Diva Stakes weights will be available in our above Makybe Diva Stakes Field section. 

Makybe Diva Stakes 2026 Acceptances

Acceptances must be declared before 9:00 AM on the Wednesday of race week. The official 2026 Makybe Diva Stakes final acceptances will be available in our above Makybe Diva Stakes Field. 

Makybe Diva Stakes 2026 Jockeys

The final riders’ announcement is at 12:00 PM on the Wednesday of race week. The official 2026 Makybe Diva Stakes jockeys will be available in our above Makybe Diva Stakes Field section.

Makybe Diva Stakes Scratchings 2026

2026 Makybe Diva Stakes scratchings close at 7:30 AM on Saturday, September 12, 2026.

• No. 5 Buckaroo (3)
• No. 6 Birdman (4)
• No. 9 Aeliana (13)

Makybe Diva Stakes Prize Money 2026

2026 Makybe Diva Stakes prize money is set at $750,000 including $450,000 going to the Makybe Diva Stakes winner.

Makybe Diva Stakes Race Number 2026

The 2026 Makybe Diva Stakes race number is scheduled as Flemington Race 8 at 4:20pm (AEST) on Saturday, September 12, 2026 at Flemington Racecourse. Makybe Diva Stakes Day features ten races in total.

Makybe Diva Stakes 2026 Form Guide

The final form guide will be available the week before the race. You can check below for a link to our full 2026 Makybe Diva Stakes Form Guide following final acceptances. 

Makybe Diva Stakes Winners

Past winners of the Makybe Diva Stakes going back to 1983 are displayed in the table below. To view a complete list of past Makybe Diva Stakes winners from the race’s inauguration in 1948 to the present – click here.