Gun Godolphin galloper Hartnell will take his next step towards a likely Caulfield Cup bid with a run in the Makybe Diva Stakes 2017 this Saturday at Flemington Racecourse.

Hartnell is odds-on favourite to win Saturday’s 2017 Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington Racecourse. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The international Group 1 winning son of Authorized is the main attraction in Melbourne on the same day Winx shoots for her 20^th straight win in Sydney’s George Main Stakes.

The elite level action of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival continues with the Group 1 $750,000 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m), the weight-for-age mile classic drawing 18 early entries.

Pre-field Makybe Diva Stakes odds online at Ladbrokes.com.au have seven-year-old Hartnell as the clear $1.80 favourite even before final acceptance stage.

Also leading futures betting for next month’s Caulfield Cup 2017 over the mile and a half, Hartnell put the writing on the wall for a big spring winning the Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) first-up.

He carted 60kg to a two and a quarter-length victory at Caulfield that day and with three weeks between runs should be flying getting up over a mile, which he has a great record over (8-3-2-0).

The only other single-figure hopefuls in futures Makybe Diva Stakes betting markets after the nominations were made official on Monday morning are the Darren Weir-trained Black Heart Bart and the Kris Lees-trained Le Romain.

Five-time Group 1 winner Black Heart Bart is third-up on the weekend and approaching peak fitness following a third in the P.B. Lawrence Stakes and last start second behind Vega Magic in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m).

A former W.A. star, the seven-year-old has winning form up to 1800m and from his two previous Flemington runs has two seconds including behind Palentino in last year’s Makybe Diva Stakes.

Weir won the race in 2016 with that galloper and has a total of three Makybe Diva Stakes nominees for the weekend.

Black Heart Bart is joined in the possible line-up for Weir by Gailo Chop coming off a black-type win at Morphettville and his Australian Cup winner over 2000m at Flemington during the autumn Humidor.

Another multiple Group 1 winner, Le Romain is far from a confirmed Makybe Diva Stakes starter also being nominated for a home run at Randwick against Winx in the Group 1 George Main Stakes (1600m).

Also a dual Makybe Diva Stakes – George Main Stakes nomination is Winx’s stablemate Foxplay whose first-up run produced a nearly all-the-way win in the Warwick Stakes.

Other key Makybe Diva hopefuls in 2017 include Tony McEvoy’s Australian Guineas winner Hey Doc coming off a Memsie Stakes fourth and the Kiwi-trained ATC Derby winning Jon Snow out to improve on a sixth in the Memsie.

The Memsie Stakes has produced two of the past three Makybe Diva Stakes winners with Dissident (2014) doing the double for Peter Moody and Palentino improving on his fifth in the lead-up last spring.

Check out the official Makybe Diva Stakes 2017 nominations below, the final field and updated odds at Ladbrokes.com.au set for release on Wednesday.

2017 Makybe Diva Stakes Nominations

Flemington Racecourse 16/09/2017