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Sensational Karaka graduate Melody Belle shares a slice of New Zealand racing history after recording her eighth Group One win in Saturday's G1 Windsor Park Plate at Hastings.
The win brought the Commands mare level with Mufhasa for the all-time record number of G1 victories in New Zealand.
A $57,500 purchase at the 2016 NZB Premier Sale at Karaka by Te Akau principal David Ellis, Melody Belle was crowned 2018-19 New Zealand Horse of the Year after five superb G1 victories last season.
She has begun 2019-20 in the same form with successive G1 wins after resuming with her victory in the G1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) on August 31.
Settled in midfield by jockey Opie Bosson, Melody Belle began to improve her position as the field streamed down the side of the Hastings track towards the home turn.
Melody Belle (Comands x Meleka Belle by Iffraaj) has now won 13 of her 23 starts and earned $1.867 million in stakes – more than 32 times her purchase price - for the Fortuna Melody Belle Syndicate.
She is now chasing history at Hastings in the G1 Livamol Classic on October 5. No horse has ever completed the spring G1 weight-for-age treble at Hastings.
Melody Belle's late sire Commands, a son Danehill, was a three-time leading sire of winners in Australia and has sired more than 970 winners including 79 individual stakes winners with 12 G1 winners among them.
Melody Belle is out of the winning Ifraaj mare Meleka Belle and descends from a revered New Zealand family made famous by James and Annie Sarten.
She was bred by the Sartens' daughter Marie Leicester with Meleka Belle being a half-sister to four black-type performers including the G1 placed Tsarina Belle (Stravinsky).
She is related to G1 Epsom Handicap winner Rock Kingdom (Rock Of Gibraltar), a descendent of the G1 winner Honey Belle (Better Honey).
Te Akau Racing has Meleka Belle's unraced three-year-old by Not A Single Doubt named Exaltation who was purchased for $NZ900,000 by David Ellis in training while her two-year-old half-sister to Melody Belle by Tavistock was purchased by Andrew Williams Bloodstock for $NZ300,000 at Karaka this year.
Meleka Belle also has a yearling colt by Tavistock.