Te Akau Sprint Stars Prepare for Group One

Media Release - Friday December 8
Te Akau Racing will ramp up their Group I Sistema Railway (1200m) offensive when Group One winners Heroic Valour and Melody Belle tackle Saturday's Ray White NZ 1200m at Ellerslie.

The Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards-trained pair will use the open handicap as their lead-up to the feature sprint, run under set weights and penalties conditions on January 1.

Melody Belle - Trish DunnellMelody Belle is currently a $9 equal second favourite for the Railway, with Heroic Valour on third line of betting at $12 in a TAB futures market headed by last year's winner Start Wondering at $7.

A winner of the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) and the Gr.2 QTC Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) to earn the title of last year's champion two-year-old, Melody Belle goes into Saturday's race fresh.

Heroic Valour, also a Group One winner at two, has begun his four-year-old season with a fifth placing in the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa and a last-start third in the Listed Counties Bowl (1100m).

"He's come through that race really well. We're very pleased with him," Richards said.

"He's a good-doing Fastnet Rock colt who thrives with racing, hence why he's having another race on Saturday. This race is a nice fit as it's three weeks before the Railway and hopefully he should be peaking for that race fourth-up.

"Although he didn't win as a three-year-old, his form was very good. He ran terrific all season but just let us down with that last run. He was third in the 2000 Guineas and second in the Gold Coast Guineas and to be fair to him, his form has been good all the way through."

Melody Belle has trialled twice leading up to her three-year-old debut, placing in a Cambridge 935m open heat before winning a 1000m open trial at Avondale last month in the hands of Saturday's jockey Michael McNab, that day beating subsequent Listed Counties Bowl (1100m) winner Fully Funded.

"Her trials have been very good and that's been franked through Fully Funded winning," Richards said.

"Her coat took a little while to turn after Brisbane, coming back to the cold. She's always been a real racehorse. She just wants to get on with the job, doesn't have a lot of patience. Rather than waiting five minutes, she wants to do it now.

"Her work was good on Tuesday and we expect her to run very well. She's a class filly and while this isn't an easy task, we'd be disappointed if she didn't run one, two or three."

Fortuna Syndications director John Galvin, the racing manager for Melody Belle, said the Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie on January 27 was the Commands filly's primary target. - NZ Racing Desk.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Sires With Winners - Saturday October 4
Here is the full list of 119 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Sires With Winners - Sunday October 5
Here is the full list of 47 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Wootton Bassett G1 Double on Arc Day
The shattering loss of Wootton Bassett (GB) has been highlighted at Longchamp in France on Arc Day where the champion sire added two new Group I winners to his tally in 2YO colt Puerto Rico and the former Aussie owned 3YO colt Maranoa Charlie.
Mogumber Park hoists wet sail with Marine One
This time last year, the first foals by Mogumber Park stallion Marine One were widely regarded as some of the best types on the ground in Western Australia.
Everest Runner/New G1 Horse for Hellbent as Invincible Legacy Surges
Hellbent has made a solid start to the new season with 25 winners racking up over $2million in earnings and he will have a runner in the $20million The Everest in two weeks time with Magic Time confirmed for the Inglis slot, while at Randwick last Saturday he added another G1 performer to his tally.
Sires With Winners - Friday October 3
Here is the full list of 61 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Rising HK Star for Embellish
Bulb General continued his electric form in Hong Kong to bring loftier targets into play for the son of Embellish.
First G1 Winner for St Marks Basilica - 1.7million Filly Undefeated
The top lot at the 2025 Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale was a blueblood St Mark’s Basilica filly from blue hen Prudenzia that sold for €1.7million to MV Magnier and she became the first Group I winner for her sire when charging home to win the Group I Prix Marcel Boussac (1600m) at Longchamp.
Kiwi Bred War Machine Secures Everest Slot
The NZB Ready to Run Sale is never short of graduates flying the flag on Group One stages in Australia. With the 2025 edition at Karaka now less than six weeks away, War Machine (NZ) (Harry Angel) has put his hand up to continue that trend this spring.
Historic Day in Kalgoorlie - Old Meets the New
Kalgoorlie knows how to party, and on Cup day 2025 the party was big!