3 minute read
Connections pleased with Belle trial; Quality duo sold to Hong Kong;
Connections pleased with Belle trial
Star mare Melody Belle showed she was on track for the Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) with a solid hit-out at the Rotorua trials on Tuesday.
The Jamie Richards-trained six-year-old beat just one runner home when not having all favours in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa last month but seemed her sparkling self on Tuesday.
The 13-time Group One winner relished the strong tempo set by Rhaegar in the 1230m heat and got the better of that rival late to win the trial, with stablemate Savy Yong Blonk powering home for third.
John Galvin, who manages the Melody Belle Fortuna Syndicate that owns the multiple New Zealand Horse of the Year, confirmed that Troy Harris, who partnered Melody Belle in the trial, would take the mount at Ellerslie on Saturday week.
"It was a very good trial. I think the strong pace set it up nicely for Melody Belle and gave her a good hit-out," Galvin said.
"Troy actually had a devil of a job to pull her up past the post. The feedback from both Jamie and Troy was all positive and she is right on track for the Bonecrusher.
"Troy will be riding her in the Bonecrusher. He has won three Group Ones on her and is unbeaten on her. I have lost track, but he has had something like 13 rides in the Fortuna colours for 10 or 11 wins, so it has been a successful association."
Melody Belle could potentially clash with star stablemate Avantage in the weight-for-age Ellerslie feature on March 13 and her performance will dictate future plans.
"The loose plan is that if she runs well in the Bonecrusher, she could then go to Australia where she is nominated on the second day of The Championships for both the Queen Elizabeth (Gr.1, 2000m) and the Coolmore Legacy Stakes (Gr.1, 1600m), so there are a few options once we get a guide from her run at Ellerslie," Galvin said.
Quality duo sold to Hong Kong
Talented three-year-olds Unition and Suffused have been sold and will do their future racing in Hong Kong.
The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained pair had footed it with the best of New Zealand's three-year-old crop and were both owned by the China Horse Club.
Unition, a well-bred son of Fastnet Rock and Diademe, was a Listed winner on debut at two and went on to be Group placed on two occasions, while winning Choisir gelding Suffused was Listed placed and finished just 0.7 lengths from Aegon when fifth in the Gr.2 Hawke's Bay Guineas (1400m).
"They were both high-class three-year-olds that weren't quite up to the level of being a stallion prospect, so when that happens, we are happy to trade them on and let someone else have some fun with them. They should do well in Hong Kong," China Horse Club's Australasian Representative Michael Smith said.
"We have about 10 horses in training in New Zealand and it's been a great nursery for some of our thoroughbred talent over the years. In addition to Suffused and Unition we've also had Grand Bouquet and Providenceprovides making an impact at stakes level this year and of course in the not so distant past New Zealand provided us with Madison County who was Three-Year-Old of the Year and Queen Of Diamonds, who was joint Filly of the Year.
"We have a trio of smart three-year-old fillies to watch out for coming through in Providenceprovides who runs in the Lowland Stakes (Gr.2, 2100m) on Wednesday, Holyhead who will go to the Mufhasa Stakes (Listed, 1300m) this weekend and Oselta who is nearing debut."
