Makybe Diva, Triple Melbourne Cup Winner, Dies at 27

Makybe Diva, the only horse in history to win three consecutive Melbourne Cups, died on Saturday at age 27 after a brief battle with colic at her retirement property in Gnarwarre near Geelong, Australia.

The champion mare, owned by South Australian tuna fisherman Tony Santic, succumbed to the gastrointestinal condition that often proves fatal in horses. Santic, who named her by combining the first two letters of five employees' names—Maureen, Kylie, Belinda, Diane and Vanessa—released a statement expressing profound grief. "From the day she came into our lives, she was never just a racehorse, she was family," Santic said. "She gave us moments Australia will never forget, but more than that, she gave us joy every single day. She was loved from the beginning, and she stayed loved for her whole life."

Born in the United Kingdom and shipped to Australia as a foal in 1999 after failing to meet reserve at auction, Makybe Diva rose to become a racing icon. She captured the first of her Melbourne Cup triumphs in 2003 under trainer David Hall, who later relocated to Hong Kong. The mare then transferred to the stable of Lee Freedman and his brothers, where she secured victories in 2004...