3 minute read

A hot field has been assembled at Flemington for the Makybe Diva Stakes.

The highlight of racing is having the best race the best. Unfortunately, with multiple jurisdictions and calendars competing, that probably doesn't occur as often as it could.

That's why seeing Via Sistina down in Melbourne this early in the Spring is exciting, once again clashing with the likes of Mr Brightside and Pride Of Jenni.

Via Sistina was excellent first-up in the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) in what was a slowly run race, coming from back in the field to get up narrowly. Her sectionals that day were very good, and her Racing & Sports rating comes in at 120, giving the indication she could've rated higher.

Of course last time we saw her in a genuinely run race, it was in a different race to the one setting said tempo in Pride Of Jenni where Via Sistina gave her 30 lengths around the turn at Randwick.

That mistake is unlikely to be made again, and any rise in distance will be a positive for her.

That said, she is quite short in betting here for a horse likely to be back in the field. Her peak rating also came in a slowly run Ranvet over 2000m, running 121, again backed up by big late splits.

Pride Of Jenni is the big question mark, because she was poor first-up. For all she did in the past two seasons, there have to be genuine queries on her, given the stable, and plenty of yard people, said she was ready to go in the Memsie.

It wouldn't surprise if she's a big improver, but she's always felt like a kamikaze style of horse that when it works, it's deadly, and when it doesn't, it's a complete miss.

Mr Brightside opted to go first-up into the Memsie this year and it probably just cost him the race. He's run to 120 on the R&S scale fresh and been beaten a long neck.

Compare that to his previous fresh ratings where he's gone 118, 121 and 114 in his past three, and he's come back basically as well as ever.

From those three fresh runs, he's then improved 4 pounds, 1 pound and 6 pounds at his second up run.

Averaging that out to his first-up run and his peak rating of 124 which came when winning this race last year, another slowly run race in which the sectionals suggested a touch more, and he looks nailed on to run 122-123 on Saturday.

That means Via Sistina will need to make that leap as well. She certainly can and I think probably just deserves favouritism, but the early markets which saw Mr Brightside close to $4 was too big.

He's now into $3.20 vs Via Sistina's $2.40 which looks closer to the right price. If the market backs Via Sistina again late, which I'm not sure they'll do, and we get $3.50 for Mr Brightside, or $8+ Pride Of Jenni, they're the bets I'd be having.