Millionaire Melody Belle (NZ) Triumphs in Tarzino

The $57,500 Premier Sale purchase Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands) became a millionaire when she scored her second Group One victory in Saturday’s $200,000 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings.

Sent out as favourite after winning the Group Two Foxbridge Plate (1200m) two weeks ago, the four-year-old mare produced another outstanding performance to capture the first Group One race of the 2018-19 New Zealand racing season.

With Shafiq Rusof in the saddle, Melody Belle was poised to pounce at the top of the straight and took over with more than 200 metres to run. She faced a stern late challenge from Hiflyer (NZ) (Tavistock), but showed tremendous fight to hold him off by half a length. The winner’s stablemate Our Abbadean (NZ) (Lookin At Lucky) was third.

“She is a superstar and a high-class horse who just gives everything to the line,” Rusof said. “She did everything right. I was a bit worried when they came after her, but when I asked she just kept giving.”

The winner of the Karaka Million (1200m) and Group One Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) as a two-year-old, Melody Belle has now had 14 starts for seven wins and more than $1.1 million in prize-money – almost 20 times her purchase price. Her owners are the Fortuna Melody Belle Syndicate.

She is trained by Jamie Richards, who is now training solo at the powerful Te Akau Racing operation, having previously been in partnership with Stephen Autridge.

Four of the first five horses home in the star-studded field were Karaka graduates – Melody Belle, Our Abbadean, Jon Snow (NZ) (Iffraaj) and Savvy Coup (NZ) (Savabeel).