Seven reasons we love Melody Belle
Recently crowned as the 2018/19 New Zealand Horse of the Year, there are plenty of reasons to love star galloper Melody Belle.
She has won over half of her races!
Melody Belle has won 12 of her 22 starts, meaning she boasts an impressive strike rate of 54%! What’s more? She’s placed in over 68% of her raceday appearances.
Her Forelock
She has a forelock a Pantene model would envy! It’s her trademark and no one is allowed to cut it - although you can’t see it come raceday as she wears blinkers.
She has taken a huge number of people on the Ride of a Lifetime
Not counting the punters, racing fans and enthusiasts, Melody Belle is owned by 34 people, meaning she has enabled so many to experience the thrill of racing first hand. She is officially owned by the Fortuna Melody Belle Syndicate, which is managed by John Galvin.
She’s full of Courage
Even when she’s looked beat, she manages to find another gear. It’s evident she loves her racing and enjoys nothing more than a good battle down the straight. She showed just this trait when fighting off Danzedanzedance in a two-horse war in the New Zealand Bonecrusher Stakes. Interestingly, Melody Belle has never run second.
She has Won over 30 times her Purchase Price
Melody Belle was purchased as a yearling for only $57,500 by Te Akau’s principle, David Ellis. So far, she has picked up an incredible $1,749,156.98 in stakes money - Now that’s a pretty decent return on investment!
Her ‘Smile’
We’ll let the picture do the talking…
She’s Adaptable
Good 3 to heavy 10, over 900m to- 2000m and a flexible ride - winning Group 1s with four different jocks on board. She can do it all! Fun fact: Alamosa is the only other New Zealand horse to have won Group 1s with four different jockeys. Perhaps Melody Belle will surpass him and win with a fifth? Who knows!
So what’s next for Melody Belle?
She will be racing in the Windsor Park Plate at Hawkes Bay Racing on 21 September and is currently the favourite to take out the race with her odds with the New Zealand TAB sitting at just $2! We’d say deservingly so too, considering she’s unbeaten in the Bay.
Learn more about Windsor Park Plate Day.
