Champion mare Makybe Diva will be heading the way of this season's Champion Australian Sire Encosta De Lago for her third season at stud this year.

Tony Santic's Makybe operation confirmed the booking to the Coolmore Stud stallion today.

Makybe Diva produced a colt by Galileo last year before going in foal to Fusaichi Pegasus.

Santic had originally intended to send the three times Melbourne Cup winner to Encosta De Lago last year, but when the Fairy King stallion became part of the quarantine bungle and was stranded at Eastern Creek, the decision was taken to send her to Fusaichi Pegasus and she was covered on September 15, with the foal due early next month.

A daughter of Desert King from the Riverman mare Tugela, Makybe Diva became the greatest stakes earner in Australian racing history when she won her third Melbourne Cup in 2005.

She was retired from racing immediately following that win with earnings of $14.5million, spearheaded by Group 1 wins in the Sydney Cup, Australian Cup, BMW, Cox Plate and of course the three Melbourne Cups.

Makybe Diva's feats have made Tugela's progeny much sought after at sales in recent years.

Musket, a colt by Redoute's Choice, sold for $2.5million in 2005, while a Redoute's Choice filly made $1.8million to the bid of John Morrisey at this year's Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

A Red Ransom filly, now a two-year-old named Optimist, was passed in at $1.9million at the 2007 Easter Sale.

Tugela has since produced another Redoute's Choice colt and was covered by the same stallion again last year.

Encosta De Lago will be crowned Australia's Champion Sire for the first time this season after finishing runner-up in three of the past four years.

His earnings for 2007-08 have surpassed $10million and he stands at Coolmore Australia in 2008 at a fee of $302,500.