MELODY BELLE to contest the Group One Empire Rose Stakes at Flemington 2nd November – Derby Day
Fortuna Syndications Director, John Galvin, has announced that Reigning NZ Horse Of the Year and recent Hawkes Bay Triple Crown winner, Melody Belle will campaign in Victoria this Spring
“On Monday 7th October I met with our Trainer, Jamie Richards, to review all options with respect to Melody Belle’s immediate and ongoing racing plans. Jamie reported that Melody Belle has come through her Triple Crown campaign in great order and he cannot fault her physically. Accordingly the decision was made that she would campaign in Melbourne in the coming weeks. Jamie and I decided that the right race for her in this campaign would be the Group One Empire Rose Stakes (Flemington 2nd November -1600m – A$1m) – this decision reached with input from Te Akau Principal David Ellis and Te Akau Singapore Trainer Mark Walker. We did give serious consideration to the Cox Plate, however the consensus reached was to go for the Empire Rose instead and if she were to race well in that event, then the option of backing up into the MacKinnon Stakes (Flemington 9th November – 2000m – A$2m) would be available to us,” he said. “Naturally, the connections are excited to have the opportunity to show off our wonderful racemare in Australia – she has carried all before her in NZ over the past 15 months winning eight Group One races here in that time – now is the time for her to step up and tackle some of the best horses in Australia.”
Looking ahead Melody Belle will return to NZ after the MacKinnon and be freshened – she will then return to Melbourne in the New Year and be aimed at races such as the Group One Futurity Stakes (Caulfield – 22ndFebruary – A$500,000) and the All Star Mile (Caulfield – 14 March 2020 – A$5m) with a season ending target being the Group One Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Randwick 9th April – 2000m – A$4m)