ANSWERS TO KTTC TRIVIA QUESTIONS

Answers to December 2005 "Diva Trivia"

1.  Yes!  She is out of the U.S. bred Tugela, a U.S.-bred daughter of Riverman, from a Roberto daughter.  Previously owned by Juddmonte Farms, Tugela was sold to Irish farm Ballylinch.  Makybe Diva’s sire is the English stallion Desert King – meaning that she is Irish conceived, English born of an American dam and adopted by Australia.  She’s a veritable United Nations.

2.  Her name is the combination of names of women who work in her owner’s offices:  Maureen, Kylie, Belinda, Diana and Vanessa.  The first two letters of each name in the shown order created the name for the horse.

Bonus:  her nickname is “The Diva”

3.  The Diva is owned by Tony Santic, who owns and runs a $200 million tuna fishing business in Port Lincoln, South Australia.

4.  Her regular jockey is Glen Boss.  The silks are red, white and blue.

5.  False.  David Hall managed her early in her career.

6.  Freedman, 48, has now trained five Melbourne Cup winners, the same as 1900s legend Etienne de Mestre. Only 78-year-old living-legend Bart Cummings is ahead, with eleven Cup winners.

7.  Fans and connections alike wore red, white and blue half masks in honor of the grand mare’s victory in the Cox Plate.  There are photos showing jockey Boss and owner Santic sporting the look on the way to the winner’s circle.

8.  The win in the 2005 Melbourne Cup was the third consecutive win for The Diva – the first time any horse had accomplished three wins, let alone in a row.  It also gave her the all time money earned title for fillies and mares, breaking Sunline’s old mark of $11.664 million (Australian funds) with Diva’s $14,526,685 (Australian funds).  The last – and somewhat bittersweet – milestone was her retirement immediately following what was probably her greatest victory.

Bonus:  False.  Diva was already named 2005 Horse of the Year in Australia prior to her Melbourne Cup win.

9.  She preferred soft turf and was a dead closer, sometimes dropping 15 to 20 lengths out of it in the early going. 

10.  Makybe Diva was the inaugural winner of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame’s (SAHOF) Spirit of Sport Award. The award acknowledges "an extraordinary sporting achievement that captures the heart of the nation and which is destined to become part of Australian sporting history," said SAHOF Chairman, John Bertrand.  The Diva is the first non-human to be honored by SAHOF in the organization’s history.