First of all, I’d like to thank Thrifty Car Rental who loaned me a Mitsubishi ASX for a short trip around South Australia, where I was able to visit the Makybe Diva statue in Port Lincoln!
See more below!
Everyone loves a winner. Especially a horse that has been pretty reliable in terms of bringing in a lot of money to it’s owners and punters alike.
And today’s post is about one of those horses. A horse that the bookmakers are glad is retired!
If you’re cruising around South Australia and you’re in the Port Lincoln area (especially if you’re having a go at some Shark Cage Diving or Swimming with the Seals), you’ll come across his horse statue along the main Esplanade.
Considering this is the only statue in the area, it must be important and have a story behind it!
Well, the story is a bit of a fairy tale – and one that you’d wish could happen to you!
Anyway Makybe Diva is highest stakes earner in Australasian racing history – at a cool $14 million Australian dollars in prize money.
That’s right this horse was a double figure millionaire!
But her origins were pretty humble!
Makybe Diva was ‘created’ in Ireland and was born in England. When it came to auction time, no one in England wanted to buy her.
But a tuna fisherman from Port Lincoln called Tony Santic took a punt, and the rest they say, is history!
I think it’s great that an ordinary person could just have a go at something and make it come off!
Santic had a lot of success with his tuna fishing business which allowed him to buy Makybe Diva, who to date has been the only horse to win the world famous Melbourne Cup three times – 2003, 2004, and in 2005.
That’s why this horse deserves it’s own statue!
If you’re in Port Lincoln, go and visit and say hi!
Thanks once again to Thrifty Car Rentals which helped me reach the Makybe Diva statue in Port Lincoln!
Nice story! I’m buying a horse tomorrow… 🙂
You and me both!