Melody Belle facts for kids

Melody Belle (born September 26, 2014) is a super famous New Zealand Thoroughbred racehorse. She is the only horse ever to win the special New Zealand Triple Crown. Melody Belle was also named the New Zealand Horse of the Year twice! She holds the New Zealand record for winning the most Group 1 races, with an amazing 14 wins. This beats the old record of 13 wins held by the great mare Sunline. She is also just one win shy of the Australian record of 15, held by Black Caviar.

About Melody Belle

Melody Belle was born at Haunui Farm in Karaka, New Zealand. She was bred by Marie Leicester, whose family has a long history with horses. Melody Belle comes from the famous "Belle" horse family.

She was sold for NZ$57,500 at a big horse sale in 2016. This was a good price for a future champion!

Melody Belle's Racing Journey

Melody Belle was trained by Jamie Richards for her whole career. Most of her races were ridden by the top jockey Opie Bosson. She also had a special bond with her helper, Ashley Handley.

Starting Out: Two-Year-Old Races

Melody Belle started her racing career with a win in October 2016 at Ruakaka Racecourse. She was ridden by jockey Cameron Lammas. In her next two races, she finished third and eighth.

Then, Opie Bosson rode her for the first time. Melody Belle bounced back to win the important Two-Year-Old Karaka Million race. This happened at Ellerslie Racecourse in January 2017.

She missed one big race because of an injury. But she came back to win the Group 1 Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes in March. This win made her one of the best two-year-old fillies.

Melody Belle then went to Australia. She won the Group 2 Brisbane Sires Produce Stakes by four lengths. Winning both the Manawatu Sires Produce and the Brisbane Sires Produce was a rare achievement for a New Zealand horse. She had already won almost twenty times her original purchase price!

She finished her two-year-old season in June with a tenth-place finish. Melody Belle was named the Champion Two-Year-Old for the 2016/2017 season.

Three-Year-Old Season: A Single Win

Melody Belle rested for a long time before her next race in December 2017. She finished third in her first race as a three-year-old. Then she came sixth in the Railway Stakes.

Her only win as a three-year-old was in the Group 3 Mongolian Khan Trophy. Opie Bosson rode her to win by 3.5 lengths. She then raced twice in Australia, finishing fifth and ninth.

Four-Year-Old Season: Becoming a Star

Melody Belle got much better in her four-year-old season. She won her first three races! She won the Group 2 Foxbridge Plate in August. This was a special win for her trainer, Jamie Richards, as it was his first win as the main trainer for Te Akau Racing, and it was on his birthday!

Melody Belle then won the first two parts of the New Zealand Triple Crown. She won the Group 1 Tarzino Trophy and the Group 1 Windsor Park Plate. She did not try to win the final part of the Triple Crown that year.

After a break, she came third in the Group 1 Railway Stakes in January 2019. She then had a tough race in the Telegraph Handicap.

Melody Belle then started a winning streak in New Zealand. She won her fourth Group 1 race in the Waikato Sprint in February. Two weeks later, she won the Group 1 Haunui Classic. With this win, her jockey, Opie Bosson, had won every Group 1 race in New Zealand.

She then won the Group 1 New Zealand Stakes, her fifth Group 1 win of the season. This made her Te Akau's horse with the most Group 1 wins.

In September, Melody Belle was named the Champion Sprinter/Miler. She also won the top award, New Zealand Horse of the Year, for the 2018/2019 season.

Five-Year-Old Season: Triple Crown History

Melody Belle started her 2019/2020 season with a fourth-place finish in August.

She then returned to Hastings Racecourse and won the Group 1 Tarzino Trophy again. Three weeks later, she won the Group 1 Windsor Park Plate for the second time. This win tied her with another great horse, Mufhasa, for the most Group 1 wins in New Zealand, with eight.

On October 5, 2019, Melody Belle made history! She won the Livamol Spring Classic, becoming the only horse to win the New Zealand Triple Crown. She won three Group 1 races in just five weeks! This win also made her the only horse to win nine Group 1 races in New Zealand.

Melody Belle kept her winning streak going. She won the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes in Australia in November. This was her first Group 1 win in Australia and her tenth Group 1 win overall. She then finished second in another big Australian race, the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes.

After a break, Melody Belle raced in Australia again. She finished third in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes and third in the All Star Mile. She also came fourth in the Doncaster Mile and fifth in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Melody Belle was named Champion Sprinter Miler and Champion Middle Distance Horse for 2019/2020. She was also crowned Horse of the Year for the second year in a row!

Six-Year-Old Season: Setting New Records

Melody Belle started her six-year-old season in Australia in August 2020. She finished sixth and eleventh in her first two races. Then she returned to New Zealand.

In October, she won the Group 1 Windsor Park Plate for the third time! This was a very close win. Two weeks later, she won the Group 1 Livamol Spring Classic again. This brought her total Group 1 wins to 12.

She then finished third in the Mackinnon Stakes in Australia before coming back to New Zealand. In January 2021, she won the Group 1 Thorndon Mile. This win tied her with Sunline for the record of 13 Group 1 wins. It was also her eighteenth career win.

On March 13, Melody Belle won the New Zealand Stakes at Ellerslie Racecourse. This win set a new all-time record for the most Group 1 wins by a New Zealand-trained horse, with 14!

Melody Belle then went to Australia for her final races. She finished sixth in the Tancred Stakes, tenth in the Hollindale Stakes, and fifth in the Doomben Cup.

She finished her amazing career with 19 wins, 1 second-place finish, and 6 third-place finishes from 41 races. She won 46% of her races and placed in 63% of them. She earned over $4 million!

Life After Racing: Breeding Career

After her racing career, Melody Belle was sold for A$2.6 million at a special sale in May 2021. She was bought by Yulong Investments. She had her first baby horse in August 2022.

In 2023, she was bred with a horse named Diatonic. He was a winner of several races in Japan.

See also

• Thoroughbred racing in New Zealand