A couple of weeks ago, Lee Freedman lost one of his favourite horses when Mummify broke his leg after a gallant third in the Caulfield Cup and had to be put down.

On Tuesday he lost the best horse he has ever seen in a wave of euphoria as Makybe Diva ran her last race to win the Melbourne Cup for a third time.

Having done everything she can do on the track, she will now be retired, hopefully to produce a son or daughter with a touch of her ability.

"Mummify was unconsciously in the back of my mind," Freedman said.

"But I have no regrets about losing Makybe Diva.

"She has nothing to prove, what else can she do? "Before today, she was the best horse I have ever trained, now she is the best horse I have ever seen.

"She's done her job. They all go, some go the right way." Freedman inherited Makybe Diva after her first Cup win when David Hall took up a contract in Hong Kong.

The fact he has managed to prolong her career and take her to the highest peaks is testament to Freedman's position as a Hall of Fame trainer and the facilities he has on his farm on the Mornington Peninsula.

He moved his operation away from the city in what was seen as gamble but it has paid off.

"The facilities at Markdel mean that the horses can go into paddocks and have a life away from the stable," he said.

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