Star mare Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands) 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 (Pluck) in the 1230m heat and got the better of that rival late to win the trial, with stablemate Savy Yong Blonk (NZ) (Savabeel) 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.
