Draw no help for NZ mare

STAR New Zealand mare Melody Belle may have to call on all of her champion qualities to win Saturday’s Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington after drawing barrier 15.

The10time group 1 winner will have just one horse outside her when she aims to win her second feature at the Melbourne Cup carnival.

Melody Belle produced a barnstorming finish from off the pace to win last weekend’s 1600m Empire Stakes on a day when it was difficult for the backmarkers to run the leaders down.

Hopes in the Melody Belle camp are high that she can win again on Saturday if she drifts off the pace from her wide draw.

‘‘She broke the pattern of the day [last weekend]. She came from off the speed and quickened well,’’ trainer Jamie Richards told NZ Racing Desk.

‘‘We are going to need a little bit of luck with the way the barriers have come out, but hopefully there is good tempo in the race.

‘‘Hopefully she can finish off as strongly as she did last Saturday.”

Melody Belle has pleased Richards in her recovery.

‘‘She has done well. We have been pleased with her.

‘‘We haven’t done too much with her. She has been to the beach a couple of times and did a little bit of pace work.

‘‘She is going to do a bit of threequarter work [this] morning and I think that should be all she needs.’’

Melody Belle will be out to keep her unbeaten record over 2000m intact in the A$2 million ($NZ2.16 million) feature. Bookmakers rated her the $4 race favourite ahead of Irish raider Magic Wand ($7) following the barrier draw.

Magic Wand finished 10th behind Vow And Declare in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup.

The Mackinnon is set to be the swansong for veteran Australian galloper Hartnell, who is rated the third favourite at $9. The 9yrold, trained by James Cummings and raced by the Godolphin operation, has amassed more than $7 million in earnings.