Princess Grace is 3rd choice for Makybe Diva in Australia

After coming in a tantalizing second in her first two Group 1 races in Australia, five-time U.S. graded-stakes winner Princess Grace tries to make a top-level breakthrough Saturday. That is when she races for the third time in less than a month, facing males in the US$484,087 Makybe Diva Stakes in Melbourne.

The 6-year-old Karakontie mare trained by Chris Waller and ridden by Blake Shinn drew widest in the field of seven for the weight-for-age race covering 1,600 meters, 10 yards short of a mile. The Makybe Diva will be run around one left turn on what is expected to be good turf at Flemington. Post time is Saturday at 1:40 a.m. EDT, which translates to Friday at 10:40 p.m. PDT.

Princess Grace, who had been in Michael Stidham’s care before she was sold late last year and moved overseas, lost by a neck two weeks ago in the Memsie Stakes (G1) at Caulfield in suburban Melbourne. That seven-furlong race was won with a closing move by Mr Brightside, who also is back for the Makybe Diva.

Drawn into post no. 2, the 6-year-old gelding Mr Brightside has won four consecutive races and has career earnings in excess of US$5.7 million. He was the 4-5 favorite in early betting for the Makybe Diva.

Five-time Group 1 winner Alligator Blood, a 7-year-old gelding with more than US$4 million in earnings, was fourth in the Memsie and was the 3-1 second choice in post no. 4.

At 7-2, Princess Grace was the only other horse in the Makybe Diva field who had odds shorter than 10-1. Before the Memsie, she lost by a head to Fangirl in the Winx Stakes (G1) on Aug. 19 at Royal Randwick in Sydney.

Owned now by China Horse Club, Princess Grace was best known in the U.S. for her four-race winning streak that spanned the 2020 Mrs. Revere (G3) at Churchill Downs, the 2021 Dr. James Penny Memorial (G3) at Parx Racing, the 2021 Yellow Ribbon Handicap (G2) at Del Mar and the 2021 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf (G3). She won the Penny Memorial again in 2022.

Since her move to Australia, Princess Grace finished third in the Sapphire Stakes (G2) before winning the Hawkesbury Crown (G3), both in April.

Saturday’s race is named for Makybe Diva, the mare who was the only horse to win the Melbourne Cup (G1) three times, doing so 2003, 2004 and 2005.