Wednesday, 3 September 2008: Last year's Melbourne Cup winner Efficient takes his first steps towards defending his title in Saturday's Group 2 Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington.
 | Photo by Bronwen Healy
Photo by Bronwen Healy | |
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The grey has started just once since his barnstorming win in the famous handicap last year, when running in the Blamey Stakes over a mile in the autumn.
Owner Lloyd Williams will be giving him a very light campaign leading into this year's race of two, maybe three runs, beginning with Saturday's feature race.
Williams isn't expecting a winning return, though, with the likes of Weekend Hussler and Light Fantastic engaged.
“He's just starting off in a mile race so he'll be back and doing his best work in the last 200m,” Williams Told 4TAB. “It's going to be a super race.
“He'll run in the Turnbull after this in four weeks time. Whether he needs another run we'll wait and see. He might run in the Cox Plate if he needs another run but he'll have a maximum of three (runs leading into the Cup).”
Williams is keen to run Zipping in the Makybe Diva Stakes as well, this year aiming him at the Caulfield Cup.
Efficient 
is likely to be re-united with Cup winning jockey Michael Rodd on Saturday, but Steve Arnold, stable rider for the John Sadler team, will be aboard for the remainder of the spring. Arnold will ride
Zipping on Saturday.
Meanwhile new stable acquisition C'est La Guerre has pulled up well since his fast finishing seventh in the Memsie Stakes. Williams is unsure whether he will target the feature Cups this year or next.
“I thought his run was pretty good. He had the benefit of sitting back and you would have been disappointed if he didn't run home. But I think he's a decent handicap stayer.”
Williams said he will run on Underwood Stakes day next in either the Underwood or the Naturalism Stakes before a decision is made whether to pursue the Cups.
