Settled well in the race, he weighed his options as the pressure built. At the thousand metres, Boss knew Vinnie Roe would have to make his move, going wide to gain ground. Instead of following, Boss stayed close to the rail, trusting Makybe Diva’s trademark turn of foot. “I thought, well, if I just stick to the fence here and pick my way through … when I let her go, she’s gonna go quick.” The gamble paid off, but Vinnie Roe was right there as he emerged at the 300-metre mark.
What followed, Boss says, felt like “two heavyweights going to bang it out down the straight.”
When he finally let her go, Makybe Diva responded with the sprint that made her a champion.
But Vinnie Roe kept coming, and Boss only felt sure of victory in the last few strides. “The best horse on the day won, and that really cemented that Makybe was the best horse in the world at that time, over that distance.”
