Trainer Mick Price on Wednesday conceded Horse of the Year Weekend Hussler might not have been at his best when Light Fantastic defeated him first-up in the JJ Liston Stakes at Caulfield.

The two most talked about horses in Australia go head to head again in Saturday's Group Two Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington in the second of what could be as many as five clashes this spring.

Light Fantastic beat Weekend Hussler by three-quarters of a length in the 1400m Liston last month when he got up inside Ross McDonald's six-time Group One-winning champion who suffered from a hoof abscess in the lead-up to the race.

"My horse was first-up and he hadn't trialled and I'm thinking that he was a little bit underdone, but we probably caught Weekend Hussler not at his best," Price said.

Price described Weekend Hussler's win over Maldivian and Pompeii Ruler in the Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield last Saturday as "super".

"He's a run ahead of me. That's fine, but I'm sticking to my Cox Plate program and that's it," he said.

"He's (Light Fantastic) second-up over a mile on Saturday and I reckon that the mile is great for him.

"Whether he has Weekend Hussler against him or not is a secondary consideration to what I'm doing and if I have to run second to him and eat humble pie that's fine.

"But we have had an absolutely trouble-free run into Saturday and I think he's the horse with the most natural ability I've had.

"You can see by the way I've placed him and what he's done so he's responded to the questions asked of him.

"He just has to keep going."

With Weekend Hussler's feet issues obviously well behind him, McDonald will be expecting him to turn the tables on the undefeated grey on Saturday.

"It'll be a great race and we might be a bit fitter than him this time around so we'll just see what happens," he said.

The pair is scheduled to meet again in the Underwood Stakes (1800m) on September 20 and the Yalumba Stakes (2000m) on October 11, both at Caulfield.

Light Fantastic will then go to the Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 25, with Weekend Hussler Caulfield Cup-bound on October 18 after which a decision will be made on whether he backs up in the Cox Plate.

TAB Sportsbet opened Weekend Hussler as $2 favourite on Wednesday for the Makybe Diva ahead of Light Fantastic at $2.40 with Dealer Principal and Zarita next best at $17.

Price won the race two years ago with Pompeii Ruler who went on to run third in the 2006 Cox Plate.

PICS - Quentin Lang.