This Listed 3yo over 1200m under set weights and penalties was run at a solid clip and saw the odds on Melody Belle win easily as expected. She sat in the trail and then worked off and up three-out turning for home before taking the lead with 200m to go and then clearing right away to score by three and a half lengths in 1:09.48. The time was good as the following race, a G3 Open Handicap was run and won in 1:09.42 and therefore just a smidgen superior. It was her fifth win in ten starts and she at this meeting a year ago won the Karaka Millions juvenile feature. Melody Belle now has the full set of a G1, G2, G3 and Listed successes on her resume. Astor fresh up ran on well for second and Gift Of Power fought well for third after an average start then going up quickly to sit second the outer but was beaten five lengths. Ladynadel ran on well for fourth after being crowded and settling down in the rear duo on the inner and ironically another that found the line was Short Fuse, which also got crowded and was the other part of that rear duo on settling. Caesour’s Dream led up but fainted the run home, as she often does, to finish sixth beaten six and a half lengths. The next three home were the only males in the event and they were well beaten too with the last finisher a filly at $84 that should have been paying five times as much and she ran last beaten forty-four lengths. Melody Belle has many more wins in store and her connections would like to snare a G1 against the older horses to add more legitimacy too her record as her G1 came as a juvenile and that is not always trustable form. Astor is in for a good campaign while the bubble well and truly burst on Gift Of Power so clockwise may be an issue. The irony is Gift Of Power won a G2 1100m last season left handed as a juvenile and that day and beat Hasahalo (G1 1000 Guineas winner easily this season over a mile) and Melody Belle, so the improvement from two to three can be massive and then from three to four it can be the hardest bridge to cross for almost all. Only a very few can cut it when a 4yo and meeting the older horses whether it be at WFA or under Handicap conditions so next season is the real line in the sand for both male and female gallopers. Ladynadel and Short Fuse have more wins in store and they have formed a quinella once before today.