Young Ballarat trainer Tyler Donaldson-Aitken will not ever forget Makybe Diva Stakes Day 2026 after landing a milestone victory with the star of his stable, Welcometotheshow.
The gritty galloper provided Doaldson-Aitken with his maiden Black Type, at what was his 50th starter, in the $175,000 Listed Tontonan Stakes (1400m).
Welcometotheshow, with Craig Newitt aboard, outlasted horses trained by international Group 1 winner Henry Dwyer (Cote Atlantique), Lindasy Park’s Hayes brothers (Cafe Millenium) and big-race specialist Danny O’Brien (Sass Appeal) to provide Donaldson-Aitken with the thrill of his career.
“It means a lot,” he said.
“It means a lot to the team, as well. Horses only run well when you’ve got them happy and you’ve got the right people behind them.
“So a big thank you to everyone involved. Big thank you to my partner, Briony, she’s a big support of mine and to come here and get a win like this, it’s massive.”
Donaldson-Aitken now has the enjoyable job of trying to work out where to raise the bar next with the five-year-old entire, but not before properly celebrating the magnitude of Saturday’s win.
“I’m pretty over-tired, so I wouldn’t mind going home having a rest,” he said, knowing there was no chance that was happening.
“All the guys are here, the missus is here, so we’ll go to have some dinner, we’ll have a good time and we’ll treat everyone and make the most of the win.
“They’re few and far between and we’ll make a big deal of it.”
