| R8 HASTINGS | 05 October 2019 |
| Livamol Classic G1 OPEN ($231,000), 2040m 2:05.45 | |
| Race Synopsis: This G1 2040m under WFA saw the Hawke's Bay Triple Crown be achieved for the first time as Melody Belle trounced a poor field to mark her name as a historical first.
Melody Belle has been beating up many of the same names at WFA the last two years and the only reason she did not get the Triple Crown last year was they never had a crack at this race.
It looked a mistake as Savvy Coup won this last year and Melody Belle had her measure at the time comfortably.
Once again an absurd manmade on pace and inside lanes bias ruled the whole G1 day and while this was not quite as bad as the bias of the century track on Day Two at Hastings it was still an unfair shocker.
The winners and where they turned for home in race order were fourth (four-off the inside and a length from the leader), led (on the rail and a length ahead), co-leader (two-off the inside), fourth (five-off the inside and length and a half from the leader), led (on the rail and length and a half ahead), fifth (five-off the inside and two lengths from the leader), second (one-off the inside and a neck from the leader), second (four-off the inside and a length from the leader), fourth (on the rail and two lengths from the leader) and the deadheaters in the last event were fifth (five-off the inside and two lengths from the leader) and co-leader (four-off the inside).
Ten races (eleven winners with the deadheat in the last race) and no winner came from worse than fifth and further out than five-off the inside and no more than two lengths from the leader all day with four leaders winning, two came from second, three from fourth and two from fifth.
Fast times or crawls and sprint homes made no difference as the track was blatantly manmade biased and this was worryingly with the rail out 3m, when it was true on Day Two, the most manmade biased track ever seen on a G1 day at the Bay.
How this keeps happening on G1 days defies belief, as tracks fair to all or at least almost all are needed and wanted for credibility and confidence.
Melody Belle faced the weakest field ever assembled for this race and take her out of the line up and it is a G3 race at best with half the field handicappers and so many runners out of form too.
The 5yo mare started at $1.30 such was the total lack of depth she faced at WFA and once she got off the inside the race was over before the midway mark.
She was seventh or eighth the outer midrace and then moved wide across the top as some were already under duress and going nowhere.
Melody Belle swept up second turning for home and led at the 250m before coasting away to win by three and a half lengths in 2:05.45.
The time was poor as this race became a G1 in 1996 and her clocking was the sixth slowest (18 winners have run faster with 2:02.16 the fastest time) incredibly.
Mares have won nine of the twenty running's this century
It was her fourteenth win from twenty-four starts and nine of those have come at G1, which is now an outright record for wins in New Zealand at that level.
Peso, an 8yo gelding that is a handicapper, led then was headed and sat second before attacking across the top and taking the front.
He could not repel Melody Belle at the 250m and giving her 2kg at WFA was impossible, as he ended up a distant second.
This was his second ever try at G1 having run in the Auckland Cup (3200m) and finishing twelfth of sixteen runners carrying 55.5kg and ended up beaten twenty-two lengths.
Today was his first ever go at WFA and came at G1 showing just how poor the field really was as he ran second beaten three and a half lengths and was double that in front of the fourth finisher at the line.
Crown Prosecutor was out of form this season but the 4yo ran home solidly from the rear two or three to get third and was just a long head from second,
The last time he paid a dividend was when causing an upset to win in the G1 NZ Derby at $105.
Dolcetto, a handicapper and fresh up in this, raced fifth or sixth the outer and fought on for fourth but was beaten seven lengths.
Mongolian Marshall raced midfield the inner and got off before the home turn and was a distant third at the 200m but wilted and lost third on the line.
Vernanme was back and wide and kept coming for sixth so he has a decent race in him in New Zealand this season as a 4yo.
Athena Baby, a handicapper, raced fourth then third and went up second across the top before weakening the run home.
Atlanta Peach raced ninth the inner and when hooked wide turning in plugged away for eighth beaten almost a dozen lengths.
Mauna Kea, a wet track handicapper, led up and was headed across the top then drifted out to be seventh turning for home.
He one-batted away to be beaten just over a dozen lengths.
Fiscal Fantasy was poor and Sentimental Miss has trained off the last few runs after going well fresh up.
She won the G1 NZ Oaks last season so is a disappointment so far.
Jacksstar, a handicapper, settled back and never looked any hope while More Wonder, which has got worse with each run this season as a 4yo, never stayed the trip and ran last beaten almost eighteen lengths.
The field was awful and nowhere near WFA standard and explains why Melody Belle won easily at $1.30 and she probably should have beaten this lot by much more.
The mare wisely will not tackle the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley as her reputation would have taken a pounding in that even though an off year for depth in Australasia for sure and no star to be found in the noms left for the race.
She will tackle her own sex at G1 over a mile and then maybe allcomers at WFA over 2000m a week later, when a lot of the bigger names will be tired and they cannot run everywhere.
Her stablemate Te Akau Shark, which beat her home when both were fresh up at G2 under WFA over 1200m in August will fly the Cox Plate flag.
He has not won a race this season yet and the race he ran second in over 1200m at WFA, the winner was awful next time out and has been give a break and the third finisher ran sixth next time out then was euthanased after being lame post race.
The formlines rightly give you pause but in an off year where older horses can still cut it in Australia and there have been several long priced shocks at WFA, you can never say never.
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The 2019 running of the Group 1 Livamol Classic
1st Melody Belle $1.30 & $1.10
2nd Peso $4.00
3rd Crown Prosecutor $6.60
Bet Type Runners Dividend
Quinella $11.90, Trifecta $253.50, First4 $1,672.50
Time: 2:05.45
