Melody Belle sings in Oz rain
New Zealand’s star mare Melody Belle notched a Group One win in Australia with a dominant performance yesterday in the $NZ1.2m Empire Rose Stakes at a rain-soaked Flemington.
Already a winner of nine G1 races in New Zealand, including six this year, Melody Belle was racing in Australia for the first time since March last year in the fillies and mares’ 1600m weightfor-age feature.
And she showed her class. With jockey Opie Bosson aboard, Melody Belle sat wide with cover back in the field from a deep draw before asserting her authority in the straight. Melody Belle, the $3.70 favourite, chased down last year’s VRC Oaks winner Aristia ($17) and drew away to beat her by 11⁄2-lengths, with Spanish Reef ($20) another 13⁄4-lengths away third.
‘‘She’s a great mare,’’ Matamata trainer Jamie Richards said. ‘‘The opposition she’s been beating in New Zealand might have been a little bit questionable, but she can only beat what’s in front of her and she’s been doing it really well.
‘‘We were quietly confident she was ready to go.
‘‘She enjoys these conditions.
The rain was just going to slow some of the others down more than it was going to her.
‘‘That was great. Awesome.’’ Melody Belle’s Empire Rose success comes on the back of a string of Gr 1 placings for the stable in Australia this spring.
Te Akau Shark was a close second in the Epsom Handicap in Sydney and third in last Saturday’s Cox Plate in Melbourne, while three-year-old filly Probabeel was runner-up in the Flight Stakes in Sydney.
‘‘She’s a fabulous horse and she’s been so good for my career,’’ Richards said.
‘‘We’re proud Kiwis and we’re glad to be over here representing the country.
‘‘Gingernuts winning the Rosehill Guineas was pretty special but to come to Melbourne in the spring and be competitive after a frustrating run of placings in Group Ones, it’s really good to get the monkey off the back.’’ The win was five-year-old Melody Belle’s 15th from 25 starts and her second in Australia, the other being the 2017 Sires’ Produce Stakes in Brisbane.
Melody Belle could back up in either the Mackinnon Stakes or Matriarch Stakes next Saturday. Bosson was even more confident when the rain came and rates Melody Belle right up with the best horses he has ridden. ‘‘To do it on both sides of the Tasman and win 10 G1s, not many can do that.’’
‘‘She’s a great mare . . . she enjoys these conditions.’’ NZ trainer Jamie Richards
AAP