Melody Belle wins Foxbridge Plate

A nail-biting finish to the group two Lisa Chittick Foxbridge Plate (1200m) saw former top juvenile Melody Belle provide her trainer Jamie Richards with the perfect birthday present at Te Rapa.

Race favourite Julius and Melody Belle set down to a pitched battle in the middle of the track over the final 200m as they cleared out from their rivals. Although somewhat dwarfed by the imposing frame of the favourite, Melody Belle and rider Shafiq Rusof refused to yield as she put her nose in front at the right time to snatch victory from a game Julius with veteran stayer Authentic Paddy storming home late for third.

A group one winner as a twoyear-old, the now four-year-old Commands mare had disappointed slightly in the latter stages of her three-year-old campaign when unplaced in two Sydney runs after taking out the group three Mongolian Khan Trophy (1200m) at Ellerslie in January.

Freshened up by the team at Te Akau Racing, the mare had endured an interrupted preparation with the postponement of the Te Teko trials forcing Richards to line her up at Te Rapa without the benefit of a leadup run.

None of that mattered as the mare showed plenty of heart yesterday to gain the win and announce herself as a major contender for the first group one race of the season, the Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings in a fortnight.

Richards, who has taken over training the powerful Te Akau team on his own this season, was relieved the mare had performed to her best after providing him with some concerns in the build-up to the race.

“I was just a little bit worried during the week as her work wasn’t that flash on Tuesday,” he said.

“I didn’t want to pump her up too much but she’s a real racehorse and she was given a lovely ride by Shafiq.

“This will take a bit out of her as she has had a tough run first-up. We will get her home and assess things.”