Melody Belle Heads Home

NZ Racing News reports:

Star Kiwi mare Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands) is returning home after finishing an inconclusive 11^th in Saturday's Gr.1 Winx Stakes (1400m) after enduring a troubled passage.

While the second-up run failed to provide a true guide as to how the
Jamie Richards-trained mare has returned, the 34-strong syndicate that
race the dual New Zealand Horse of the Year are keen to enjoy their
pride and joy in the flesh as opposed to watching her on TV from afar.

“She's booked to come home on Sunday,” Fortuna Syndications Director John Galvin said.

“We actually think she's going quite well, it's just that her
first-up run (when sixth in the Missile Stakes) was her standard
first-up run and obviously she had no luck on Saturday.

“She got into a nice spot and then one of the other horses Con Te
Partiro came across her and she got shuffled back and then no gaps
opened for her at any stage. But she was quite strong to the line.”

The ten-time Group One winner was on a path towards the Gr.1 Empire
Rose Stakes (1600m) at Flemington, a race she won last year before
finishing second in the Gr.1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) but with several
logistical hoops to jump through and uncertainties around the Victorian
COVID-19 outbreak, Melody Belle is now likely to race in New Zealand
through the spring and summer.

“She's had seven runs over there without greeting the judge and our
ownership team back here in New Zealand are quite frustrated because
they can't go to the races and there's some nice targets for her here,”
Galvin said.  

“We thought it'd be better to take the uncertainty out of it, pull
the pin on her spring campaign in Australia, bring her back here and aim
her at some of the spring and summer targets. If she goes well, we can
look at Australia in autumn and look at the All Star Mile and races like
that.”

Group One races at Hawke's Bay including the Gr.1 Windsor Park Plate
(1600m) and Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) could be considered for the
mare, who is likely in her final season of racing.

“She's not nominated but there is a late nomination fee option for her,” Galvin said.

“The first race (Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy, 1400m on September 19) will
probably come up a bit early given that she's got to come home from
Australia.

“We haven't ruled out the last two completely and there's a couple of
nice targets for her later in the year in the Captain Cook Stakes
(Gr.1, 1600m) and the Zabeel Classic (Gr.1, 2000m). She hasn't raced in
those races before.

“But Hawkes Bay is still on the radar and we'll make a decision on
that once she gets back and Jamie gets to look at her, he hasn't seen
her since the All Star Mile on March 14. Everything is on the table.”

Melody Belle was purchased for $57,500 as a yearling at Karaka by Te
Akau's David Ellis and she has won $3.4 million in prizemoney, while the
mare will have a residual value in the millions at the end of her
racing career.

“I have had an amazing response from the syndicate members about this
decision,” Galvin said. “I have been inundated with positive comments
with people saying they can't wait to see her and catch up with all of
the crew. “The money side is not so important. The horse doesn't owe us
anything and the fact that she is racing in Group One races worth
$200,000 as opposed to $1 million over there is not the most important
factor to the members of the syndicate. We just can't wait to see her.”

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