Saturday, January 30, 2021 | Dedicated to the Australasian bloodstock industry - subscribe for free: Click here MORNING BRIEFING - PAGE 4 FIRST SEASON SIRE RUNNERS - PAGE 18 Galvin: Melody Belle What's on Stakes races: Rosehill (NSW) - Expressway Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), Widden Stakes (Gr 3, ‘on the edge of history’ 1100m), Canonbury Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m). Caulfield (VIC) - Chairman’s Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m), Manfred Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m). Sunshine Coast (QLD) - Sunshine Coast Cup (Listed, 1400m). Morphettville (SA) - Durbridge Stakes (Listed, 1200m). Trentham (NZ) - Thorndon Mile (Gr 1, 1600m), Wellington Cup (Gr 3, 3200m), Desert Gold Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m). Riccarton (NZ) - Timaru Stakes (Listed, 1400m) Metropolitan meetings: Rosehill (NSW), Caulfield (VIC), Sunshine Coast (QLD), Morphettville (SA), Ascot (WA), Trentham (NZ) Race meetings: Newcastle (NSW), Sapphire Coast (NSW), Tamworth (NSW), Kyneton (VIC), Gold Coast (QLD), Cairns (QLD), Toowoomba (QLD), Pioneer Park (NT), Riccarton (NZ) International meetings: Kranji (SIN), Taipa (MAC), Tokyo (JPN), Chukyo (JPN), Kokura (JPN), Lingfield (UK), Kempton (UK), Kenilworth (SAF), Gulfstream Park (USA), Aqueduct (USA), Santa Anita (USA) International Group races: Kenilworth (SAF) - Cape Town Met (Gr 1, 2000m), Majorca Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), Cape Flying Championship (Gr 1, 1000m), Western Cape Stayers (Gr 2, 2800m), Politician Stakes (Gr 3, 1800m). Gulfstream Park (USA) - Holy Bull Stakes (Gr 3, 8.5f), Forward Gal Melody Belle NZ RACE IMAGERY Stakes (Gr 3, 7f), Swale Stakes (Gr 3, 7f), Kitten’s Fortuna champion looks to join ‘the mare of the world’ Sunline Joy Stakes (Gr 3, 1m), Sweetest Chant Stakes (Gr 3, 1m). Aqueduct (USA) - Toboggan Stakes (Gr 3, as New Zealand’s most prolific thoroughbred of all time 7f). Santa Anita (USA) - San Marcos Stakes (Gr 2, 10f), San Pasqual Stakes (Gr 2, 9f), Robert B Lewis Boss still maintains he won aboard Shogun BY ANDREW HAWKINS AND Stakes (Gr 3, 8.5f) Lodge (Grand Lodge) - Sunline recorded her TOMMY CHURCHYARD | @ANZ_NEWS 12th Group 1 win, toppling the mark of 11 set by or 18 years and 10 months, to the Rough Habit (Roughcast) in 1994. day, the incomparable Sunline Rough Habit himself had bettered (Desert Sun) has sat alone atop Bonecrusher’s (Pag-Asa) five-year record of the list of New Zealand’s most nine a year earlier. successfulF trainees of all time. The Trevor and Stephen McKee-trained With that famous Doncaster Handicap (Gr Sunline would go on to take a 13th and final 1, 1600m) win on March 30, 2002 - which Glen Group 1 win a week Continued on page 2>> Follow us @anz_news | 1 | Brought to you by Galvin: Melody Belle ‘on the edge of history’ | 2 | Saturday, January 30, 2021 << Continued from page 1 after her second Doncaster score, adding a second All-Aged Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) to a record that included two Cox Plates (Gr 1, 2040m), two Coolmore Classics (Gr 1, 1500m) and a Hong Kong Mile (Gr 1, 1600m), as well as two Waikato Draught Sprints (Gr 1, 1400m) - her only two top-flight victories on home soil. Today, Sunline could be joined as the most prolific New Zealand thoroughbred of all time - at least as far as Group 1 wins is concerned - by BEST OF Melody Belle (Commands), the Fortuna Thoroughbred Racing flagbearer who will attempt to win her 13th Group 1 in the Thorndon Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) at Trentham. Unlike Sunline, as well as Rough Habit before her, Melody Belle has LUCK achieved most of her success at home. While Sunline won 11 of her 13 To the Magic Millions graduates running Group 1 wins abroad - earning her the moniker “the mare of the world” in todays feature races from Hong Kong racecaller David Raphael - and Rough Habit’s heroics came almost solely across the Tasman with a lone Group 1 win in New ROSEHILL (ATC) CAULFIELD (MRC) Zealand, Melody Belle has won 11 of her 12 Group 1s at home. MANFRED STKS GR3 WIDDEN STKS GR3 She already holds the mantle as the most successful collector of New Tagaloa ............................Arrowfield Stud Total Babe ..........................Mill Park Stud Zealand Group 1 wins of all-time, Aysar ..................................Torryburn Stud with her 11 placing her far ahead Excela Bella .................Rosemont Stud Portland Sky ............Alwyn Park Stud All Stardom ............................Vinery Stud of (King) Mufhasa (Pentire) Northuldra........................Bhima T’breds with eight and Seachange (Cape Zentime ..............................Twin Hills Stud TRENTHAM (NZ) Cross) and Kawi (Savabeel), both THORNDON MILE GR1 on seven. CANONBURY STKS GR3 However, today’s Thorndon The Mitigator...................Amarina Farm Readily Availabull .......Armidale Stud Mile could catapult the six-year- DESERT GOLD STKS GR3 old into another realm entirely, Construct ..................................Manx Park Love For All.....................Gleeson T’bred Connections something that is not lost on Bullpen ...........................Goodwood Farm John Galvin TRISH DUNELL Key ........................ Evergreen Stud Farm Fortuna’s director and racing Giannis ...............................Sledmere Stud manager John Galvin. WELLINGTON CUP GR3 Montana Flash ...........Glenlogan Park Vee Cece ...................................Aquis Farm HORSES LIKE THIS “We are standing on the edge of history,” Galvin told ANZ Sing a Love Song .............. Edinglassie King of the Dance.................Arrowfield DON’T COME ALONG T’breds Stud Bloodstock News yesterday. VERY OFTEN, WE “Sunline was an absolutely RECOGNISE THAT, fantastic racehorse and if we PARTICULARLY WHEN could equal her Group 1 record YOU CONSIDER SHE we would be very proud, very WASN’T AN EXPENSIVE humble, very thankful of the YEARLING AT $57,500. fact we’ve had such a wonderful SHE’S BEEN AN horse like Melody Belle. AMAZING RETURN ON “Horses like this don’t come INVESTMENT FOR HER along very often, we recognise OWNERSHIP GROUP, that, particularly when you THAT’S FOR SURE consider she wasn’t an - JOHN GALVIN expensive yearling at $57,500. She’s been an amazing return on investment for her ownership group, that’s for sure. “It’s just a great thrill from my point of view as syndicate manager - and I know I speak for my ownership group as well - just to be part of it and have those raceday experiences and camaraderie that stems from racing a horse like this and shared ownership.” Continued on page 3>> www.magicmillions.com.au Follow us @anz_news | 2 | Brought to you by Galvin: Melody Belle ‘on the edge of history’ | 3 | Saturday, January 30, 2021 << Continued from page 2 Trainer Jamie Richards, who didn’t enter his teens until the months after Sunline won her 13th Group 1, is known as a master of understatement and reservation. One could sense the excitement in his voice, though, when he mused about his charge potentially joining the champion mare, even if his words did not reflect that intrigue. “We’re trying to equal the great mare’s record, so it’s going to be an interesting day,” he said. “I’m very pleased with her, she’s going well. She’s had a good, solid build-up, I’ve been very pleased with her preparation. She’s had a trial and a couple of exhibition gallops to make sure that she is right up to the mark at a mile first-up. “She’s going to have to be - there are some good customers in there. I know it’s not a deep race in terms of numbers, but they are never easy to Melody Belle RACE IMAGES win, these races. She’s got a nice, low draw (1) and she should get a good, soft run.” the other runners. But it’s a horse race, anything can happen. We came to Melody Belle has not raced since finishing third to Arcadia Queen Trentham two years ago to run in the Telegraph and she ran the worst race (Pierro) in the Mackinnon Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) at Flemington in early of her career, finishing 15th. It was her only real failure. November. While she was a two-time Group 1 winner at 1400 metres in “So we acknowledge and recognise it is horseracing, but she goes into 2019, Richards feels that these days the six-year-old doesn’t have the same the race with her work having been absolutely spot on. Everything has speed she once possessed. gone to plan and we couldn’t be happier with her preparation.” “A mile to 2000 metres is her go, she just lacks that little bit of ping There is every chance that this could be the last preparation of Melody that she used to have in her earlier days,” he said. “She’s still very effective Belle’s career with the breeding barn awaiting. though once she gets up in trip. It looks a good race for her at Trentham.” It was reported yesterday that the AUD$5 million All-Star Mile (1600m) at As of late last night, Melody Belle was a hot favourite at $1.55 ahead Moonee Valley on March 13 was an unlikely port of call - the mare sat 21st on of Captain Cook Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Rock On Wood (Redwood) the leaderboard with less than 1,000 votes in the fan-chosen race last night - at $3.70. They were the only two horses in single figures among the eight and that the aim would instead be to win as many Group 1 races as possible declared runners, with the other before her swansong in the Doomben Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) in May. two Group 1 winners in the field However, Galvin said that no decisions had been made about her career being the last two winners of beyond the Herbie Dyke Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) at Te Rapa in two weeks. the Thorndon Mile - defending “The definite next step is to go to the Herbie Dyke at Te Rapa on champion The Mitigator (Master February 13 and then there’s no set plans beyond that,” he said.