Big Saturday for Te Akau's Group 1 Glamour Girls

On Saturday, Champion mares Avantage, Melody Belle, and Probabeel and looking to enhance their enviable records.

The first two, each past winners of the race, are rivals in the $200,000 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (Gr. 1, 2000m) at Ellerslie, while Probabeel contests the A$5 million All-Star Mile (1600m) at Moonee Valley, Melbourne.

All three of these mares have been $1 million Karaka Million 2YO (Restricted Listed, 1200m) winners, with Probabeel making history when adding the Karaka Million 3YO Classic (Restricted Listed, 1600m) to her resume, while Avantage and Melody Belle won the Sires' Produce Stakes (Gr. 1, 1400m).  Both Melody Belle and Avantage were voted Champion 2YO of their respective seasons.

They have flourished from their juvenile seasons to amass 24 Group One wins between them.

Te Akau principal David Ellis CNZM purchased the trio as yearlings at Karaka, for a combined total of $647,500. Collectively, they have won $9.2 million and hold estimated commercial value of another $9 million.

“They define the type of horses I'm trying to buy,” Ellis said. “Horses that don't take an indefinite period to get their owners to the races but have the scope to train on and keep improving as three, four, five, and six year olds.

“Obviously, not all horses can be champions but if we can buy horses that show natural talent to race as a two-year-old and keep improving as they mature, like these mares have done, it's so rewarding to see a horse that keeps getting better with time and experience.

“It's fantastic to be involved with the careers of these three incredible horses and to witness the delight they bring to the owners, our staff, and everyone in New Zealand racing that follows them.

“They certainly are a great thing to have on your mind and we're really looking forward to seeing them all race again on Saturday.”

Among the finest equine athletes racing in Australasia, and sharing similarities in what they have achieved, their individual traits and make ups, as is typically the case throughout sport, are quite different.

On terms at the top with mighty mare Sunline (Desert Sun), each having won 13 Group One races, dual Horse of the Year Melody Belle (6 m Commands - Meleka Belle, by Iffraaj) has been dubbed ‘mini Winx'. Now, some might find that excessive, given the 25 Group One victories that sets her apart worldwide, but it was used affectionately to describe their similar approaches to the game.

Winx (Street Cry), like Melody Belle, was not unlike any other horse around the stables, but come race day, and more to the point, once saddled, things took on a different complexity. Each seems to possess a knowingness of just what lay ahead, the focus required, and drummed up adrenalin near the surface but safely contained. Once on the track their every step is measured, exemplifying confidence of who they are and what their job is.

It could be said that all horses do similar, but for those at the top, the Champions, it seems obvious that they go about their business better.

Tradesman like professionalism has seen Melody Belle crowned Champion Two-Year-Old, become the only Hawkes Bay Triple Crown winner (1400m, 1600m, 2040m), equal a Winx record of seven Group One wins in a calendar year, and provide owners in Fortuna Melody Belle Syndicate (Mgr: John Galvin) with unrivalled thrills. Her record stands at 18 wins from 37 starts and $4.1 million prize money.

A powerhouse galloper, unique in her action at full flight, and the type to run through brick walls such is her courage, Avantage (5 m Fastnet Rock - Asavant, by Zabeel) is the ultimate warrior. No matter the distance, having won Group One races from 1200 metres to 2000 metres, she displays determination to win and once at peak is very hard to beat.

Last season she recorded three Group One victories in a row, and aiming for five consecutive on Saturday at Ellerslie. Eight Group One wins is more than any other by progeny of prolific Champion Sire Fastnet Rock (Danehill), and the former Champion Two-Year-Old has provided a special journey for those in Te Akau Avantage Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM). Her record stands at 15 wins from 25 starts and $2 million prize money.

Immensely talented from the outset, Probabeel (4 m Savabeel - Far Fetched, by Pins) has registered some extraordinary performances on the race track, and become a jewel in the crown for owners Brendan Lindsay MNZM and Jo Lindsay (Cambridge Stud). The most naturally brilliant galloper of the three and always one with the physique to continue improving, her Rolls Royce potential is upon us. Having won three Group Ones, all in Australia, is testament to how good she is.

Physically, far from a compact natural running two-year-old, Probabeel was lengthy, sleek, leggy, and filly with plenty of quality and scope. A combination, with an added element of class, that enabled her to reach the top as a two-year-old and keep improving to this day, as a four-year-old, with many feeling that she is still to peak in regards to full maturity.

Probabeel is widely regarded as one of the best horses currently racing in Australasia. Her record stands at 10 wins from 21 starts and $3 million prize money.

Trainer Jamie Richards knows each of the three more thoroughly than most and explained their traits from his perspective.

“Melody Belle is tall, athletic, good leg, really attractive head, great big ears, and a good correct mare,” he said. “She was a slightly picky eater in the early days, but become a really good eater as she's got older. She can get fierce in her work and does most of it solo, but throws one-hundred percent into all of her work, cantering or galloping or whatever she's doing. She is a lovely kind horse to have around the stable, but wants to get on with things when the jobs on. She is always waiting at her feed bin for a scratch and pat first thing in the morning, same place every day. She is a wonderful horse to have around.

“Avantage is built very strongly,” Richards said. “She is small to medium-sized, but almost built like a colt. She has great strength, a very good middle, and a big hind end. She has great bone, walks well, and the best eater of all-time. She has a wonderful attitude and great approach to life. She is really quiet around the stables, good to do anything with: good to ride, but on race day when she hears the speakers and gets a saddle on she can be really cantankerous. But, she is generally laidback and enjoys being in the stable and training.

“Probabeel is a similar build to Melody Belle, quite tall and athletic. A big strong mare, 520kg racing weight, probably the most laidback mare of the three and if you take her to the trials and do nothing on her she is quite happy to run last. But, when she goes to the races she goes to another level.

“All three have wonderful temperaments and enjoy being in a stable. Avantage is probably the quickest of them, Melody Belle's pet distance is probably now 2000 metres, and Probabeel's biggest attribute is her turn of foot (acceleration).”

Brett Howard, proprietor of Randwick Bloodstock Agency, knows the three mares well along with the Australasian breeding industry, and active in the area of private sales of breeding stock.

“You can only class those three as an exceptional collection of mares, really,” he said. “Those sorts of mares are few and far between and if they were to come on the market, you only have to look at a mare like Sunlight (Zoustar) who sold for $4.2m last year to Coolmore. She won three Group Ones. She was expected to sell particularly well and most had her priced in that $3-4m price range.

“Avantage, Melody Belle, and Probabeel are all by good sires and have really good bloodlines through their female lines. So, when you're trying to value those sorts of mares it becomes very difficult. You're in rarefied air and it comes down to who wants them the most and who's prepared to pay the most money.

“If any them came on the market then there would be estimates, but it would come down to a last man standing situation, as to whoever wants them, and most likely would have to go beyond the estimated price bracket.

“They come in all shapes and sizes and have their strengths and weaknesses, but all three of these mares know how to find the line. I think that's their greatest assets. They are all particularly well trained and managed, and in the heat of battle they know how to stick their head out at the right time.

“It's all about ticker and heart and it's what sets the best apart. It's having the will to win and the best horses are able to run through the pain barrier, like any great athlete. They have personalities akin to a lot of people and have traits that make them try that much harder than others.”