Thursday, 28th March 2024
All enquiries - Gary Knowles 0406 599 773
  • Melody Belle Half Sibling Off The Mark

    Monday, 28th June 2021

    The Tony Pike-trained 2YO gelding Tutukaka (Tavistock) broke his maiden at Eagle Farm with a dominant victory in the Listed Tattersall’s Life Member Stakes (1830m) on Saturday. Ridden by Michael Cahill, the half-brother to champion Melody Belle (Commands) always looked in control when sitting outside the leader and posted a 4-length winning margin over runner-up Balmaurice (Maurice). Continuing to extend his margin the further they went, the win was the first from four starts for Tutukaka, who had put the writing on the wall with a third placing in the Listed The Phoenix Stakes (1500m) three weeks earlier. With Pike watching on from Tauranga racecourse back in New Zealand, assistant trainer Chris McNab oversaw proceedings, with Tutukaka defeating a small field of just five runners in the newly added back-end juvenile distance race. "He relaxed beautifully. I said to Michael before the race that Tony rang me to say to take bad luck out of the equation and race outside the leader," McNab said.