Belle Arrives at the Ball

On Sunday, as she made the biggest step in her transition from 14-time Group 1-winning racehorse to broodmare, the beautiful bay mare stepped out countless times to parade as part of the Blue Sky Premium Consignment for the National Broodmare Sale to both prospective buyers and those just curious for a look at a Champion.

Melody Belle's very presence commands attention, and while it has been a rapid transition from her final race start on Saturday to putting on parades at a sales ground, she carries herself with such confidence and composure.

Blue Sky's Julian Blaxland admits he woke up Sunday morning with a few nagging thoughts about how the Champion Kiwi mare would handle a new routine, but from the moment she stepped into the fray at 8am on Sunday, those worries disappeared.

"She's slotted right in this morning. I was a bit concerned about how she'd settle in. She's a routine animal and Ash (Handley, strapper) commented that she was a bit confused this morning, because she hadn't been for a swim and a walk because that is what she does every day," Blaxland told TDN AusNZ.

"She stood for the cameras. I'm sure she has had a lot of photographs done over the years and she knows what that is all about. She has paraded so beautifully today. She's got another day tomorrow and she sells early on Tuesday. Touch wood, everything goes smoothly."

Blaxland has spent a bit of time with the Champion mare in the past couple of weeks, keeping an eye on her during her racing campaign in Queensland and getting a better understanding of the vary rare article he will present to the market as Lot 510 early on the Sale's first day on Tuesday.

"We've seen her a few times in the past couple of weeks while she has been here on the Gold Coast. We filmed her last week. She's got a presence about her like most champions do. It's been nice to get to know her away from the sales a bit," he said.

"When you look at her physically, you can see why she had performed as she has. She's a dominant mare. Ash tells me that she is genuinely a beautifully natured mare, but when she wants to do something, she will do it.

"She's a dominant animal and physically she's got a huge overstep. She's a real athlete. I've heard her described as one of New Zealand's best athletic exports and you look at her physically, and you can see why she has done what she has done."

An amazing career on the track

What she has done is build a career record which surpasses that of any New Zealand horse in history when it comes to Group 1 successes.

In her 41-start career, she has won 19 races, 14 of them at the elite level.

After winning the R. Listed Karaka Million, she secured her first elite success at two in the G1 Manawatu Sires' Produce S. She would win her first race in Australia in the G2 QTC Sires' Produce S. later in that campaign.

As an early 4-year-old Melody Belle claimed the G1 Tarzino Trophy and G1 Windsor Park S. in the spring of 2018, and then would add a hat-trick of New Zealand Group 1 wins in early 2019 in the BCD Sprint, the Haunui Classic and the New Zealand S.

She would return to create history as a 5-year-old as the first winner of the Hawke's Bay Triple Crown, claiming the G1 Tarzino Trophy and the G1 Windsor Park for a second time, and then go on to win the G1 Livamol Classic.

Watch: The Melody Belle (NZ) story

Her first Australian Group 1 race saw her defeat a quality collection of mares in the G1 Empire Rose S. at Flemington, while she was only narrowly beaten in the G1 Mackinnon S. a week later.

She campaigned in Australia through the autumn and early spring of 2020 before returning home to win the Windsor Park Plate for the third time and then winning the Livamol Classic for the second straight year.

Her G1 Thorndon Mile victory in January drew her level with the legendary Sunline (NZ) (Desert Sun {GB}) on 13 Group 1 wins, the most by a New Zealand-trained runner and she then broke new ground with her win in the G1 Bonecrusher S. at Ellerslie in March.

A new challenge

She didn't add further to that record with her autumn campaign in Australia, but she lost no admirers and heads to the National Sale as the most highly credentialled broodmare prospect to go to auction in Australia.

"We're so delighted to have her here,” Blaxland said. "She's the best-performed mare to sell anywhere in the world this year. It's real coup for Magic Millions and for our draft.

"You just have to look at her record. She had such versatility and she is so sound. She's just an unbelievable athlete."

Backing that up is a pedigree which features some of the most influential names in the thoroughbred world over the past 40 years, with Danehill (USA) and Eight Carat (GB) (Pieces Of Eight {Ire}) through her sire Commands, and her dam, Meleka Belle (NZ) being by the influential Iffraaj (GB) out of a Sir Tristram (Ire) mare.

The question which has burned since it was confirmed in March that Melody Belle would sell at this Sale was 'how much?'. The answer for Blaxland is straightforward, whatever the market values her at.

"We are fortunate that the syndicate, which has got 34 members in it, has brought her here to sell her. I'm not sure where she will end up, but she will be on the market when she hits the ring," he said