Melody Belle carries weight of success in Doncaster Mile

As a result of her third-place finish in the world’s richest one-mile turf race, Melody Belle has been assigned co-high weight for Saturday’s Group 1 Doncaster Mile at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia.

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Melody Belle was beaten 1 1/4 lengths by Regal Power in the $3.26 million All-Star Mile at Caulfield Racecourse on March 14, her second start of 2020. Melody Belle, a 6-year-old New Zealand-bred mare, will carry 125.5 pounds in Saturday’s $910,500 Doncaster Mile, which drew a field of 20 and is run as a handicap.

As of Wednesday, Melody Belle was the 6-1 second choice in future-book betting behind 9-2 Brandenburg, who will carry 111 pounds, the lowest assignment. Melody Belle, trained by Jamie Richards, has won 15 of 28 starts. She won the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes at a mile against 15 rivals at Flemington Racecourse last November and was third in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes at seven furlongs at Caulfield on Feb. 22 in her first start after a break during the Australian summer.

Brandenburg won the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes at seven furlongs on Feb. 22 at Rosehill Gardens and was third in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas at a mile on March 7 and fourth in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs at Rosehill on March 21.

Shadow Hero won the Randwick Guineas, and he starts in Saturday’s Group 1 Australian Derby at Randwick. Overall, there are four Group 1 races at Randwick on a strong 10-race program that includes nine group-level stakes.

First post time at Randwick is 9:10 p.m. Eastern or 6:10 Pacific on Friday. Wagering is available at DRFBets.com.

Shadow Hero was fourth behind Castelvecchio in the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas at 1 1/4 miles on March 21 and faces that rival again in Saturday’s $660,700 Australian Derby at 1 1/2 miles. Castelvecchio, the 2-1 favorite as of Wednesday, was second in the Group 1 Cox Plate at 1 1/2 miles at Moonee Valley Racecourse last October. The Cox Plate is Australia’s leading weight-for-age race.

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Nature Strip, a four-time group stakes winner since joining trainer Chris Waller’s stable in early 2019, is a slight choice to win the Group 1 T.J. Smith Stakes at six furlongs. Nature Strip drew the rail in a field of 13 and will face a challenge from Bivouac, who won the Group 1 Newmarket Stakes at six furlongs on March 7 at Flemington.

Bivouac was third to Loving Gaby in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes at six furlongs at Moonee Valley on March 20. Loving Gaby is the only 3-year-old filly and one of four females in the Smith, which has a purse of $758,750.

The first Group 1 race on the program is the $300,350 Inglis Sires’ Stakes for Southern Hemisphere 2-year-olds at seven furlongs. Mamaragan, who won the Group 2 Skyline Stakes in his debut and was third in the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes on March 21, was the 2-1 favorite in a field of 15 on Wednesday.