Daughter of Commands lands Bonecrusher Stakes beating Group 1 winning stablemate Avantage

Champion mare Melody Belle (6 m Commands - Meleka Belle by Iffraaj) etched her name into the New Zealand racing history record books at Ellerslie on Saturday when she landed the Bonecrusher Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), her fourteenth win at top-flight, to surpass the mighty Sunline (Desert Sun) for the most Group 1 wins in the modern era for a New Zealand-trained horse.

Ridden by Troy Harris, Melody Belle raced at the back of the field for much of the contest and as the field rounded the turn she let down impressively to storm past her rivals to beat her fellow multiple Group 1-winning stablemate Avantage (Fastnet Rock) by a length and a quarter. Tiptronic (O’Reilly) was a further neck away in third. 

The mare was last seen running a disappointing ninth in the Herbie Dyke Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), which garnered some suspicion that she may not win another Group 1, but Richards said he had always kept his faith in the mare. 

“She is such a wonderful mare,” he said.

“All of the talk that she wasn’t going well enough and all that crap, well she is a champion and champions bounce back.

“It wasn’t her fault at Te Rapa and I’m just proud of her and the whole team.

“It was a fantastic win and I’m also just thrilled for Troy, it’s just a feel good story.

“I’m also really proud of Avantage and take nothing away from her today as she went down fighting.”

Richards said a trip to Australia is now on the cards for Melody Belle, who will be retired at the end of the season. 

“She is sound, happy and easy to train and loves going about her business,” he said.

“I’m really proud of her and she loves to prove people wrong. This is her farewell tour, but I’m not too sure just where she will go from here.

“We are looking at races in Sydney and in Brisbane. 2000 metres is her pet trip now, so we will be targeting races like that for her.

“She has done a wonderful job and I’m just thrilled for everyone involved with her.”

The six-year-old has won 19 of her 38 starts, which has seen her accrue $4,004,057 in career prize-money.  

Bred by Marie Leicester, Melody Belle was a NZ$57,500 purchase by David Ellis at the 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale at Karaka from the Haunui Farm draft for owners, the Fortuna Melody Belle syndicate. 

The mare is out of winning Iffraaj (Zafonic) mare Meleka Belle, making her a half-sister to three-time winner Exaltation (Not A Single Doubt). 

In 2019 Meleka Belle produced a filly by Not A Single Doubt (Redoute’s Choice), before foaling a filly by his barnmate Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) last spring and she has most recently been covered by Coolmore Stud-based Pierro (Lonhro).