Dictionary flies family flag on Diva’s Day

A 0-58 at Echuca is a far cry from a Group 1 at Flemington, but that’s where the lone relation to Makybe Diva engaged this Saturday will be in action on the day the race named in her honour is run.

Dictionary goes around in the $27,000 Rich River Party Hire Handicap, about 220km from where the $750,000 Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes will be run with the legendary mare in attendance.

The John Moloney-trained Dictionary is a four-year-old by All Too Hard out of Collins, who like Makybe Diva is a daughter of Desert King and Tugela.

Saturday’s 2100-metre event will be the first time Dictionary races beyond 1600m, something Moloney has always known would be of benefit given her bloodlines.

“I’ve been slowly getting him to this point, I just wanted to condition him out a little bit longer, but he’s definitely looking for this type of trip,” Moloney said.

“He’s good in the wind, he’s a sound horse and he always gave us an indication he would enjoy getting out over a trip.”

Dictionary has had 12 starts for one win, in a 1600m Pakenham maiden in February this year.

The $110,000 Magic Millions purchase is part of the family that started in Australia when Tugela relocated from the UK, in-foal to Desert King, late last century.

That foal was Makybe Diva, who went on to become an Australian racing legend thanks to three wins in the Melbourne Cup.

She was retired from stud duty in 2020, after nine foals, and while none have scaled anywhere near the heights of their mother, the line continues with six of her foals fillies.

La Dolce Diva, Divanation, Demand Attention and Sublime Diva are all now broodmares, Avila is an unraced five-year-old and Terrifictonka a four-year-old whose only public outing to date was a fifth placing in a Tatura trial in May this year.

Makybe Diva was one of 11 foals from the Riverman mare Tugela, eight of which were fillies.

The best product from one of Tugela’s daughters who has been racing of late was Arktika, a daughter of Snitzel and Valkyrie Diva who won three of 12 starts but was retired after her most recent appearance at The Valley in July.

One member of the family showing promise is Cap Ferrat, a Chris Waller-trained son of Snitzel who placed in the Listed Phoenix Stakes at Eagle Farm as a two-year-old and contested last week’s Group 3 Ming Dynasty Quality at Rosehill.

A $1.4m yearling, Cap Ferrat is out of C’est Beau Le Vie, a daughter of Valkyrie Diva who produced C’est Beau Le Vie after a visit to Bernardini.