Rodney Schick (right), from Windsor Park Stud, presents John Galvin of Fortuna Thoroughbreds with the trophy following Melody Belle's decisive win.
Waipukurau couple Trevor and Debbie Walters say they are "living a dream" as the major shareholders in outstanding mare Melody Belle, a dominant winner of last Saturday's $200,000 Windsor Park Plate at Hastings.
The Walters own a 10 per cent share in the Commands mare, who recorded her third Group 1 victory and took her stake earnings to $1,236,407 with a dominant performance in the feature race on the second day of the Bostock New Zealand Hawke's Bay spring carnival.
The 4-year-old, trained by Jamie Richards at Te Akau Racing and ridden by Malaysian-born Shafiq Rusof, capitalised on a perfect run in the 1600m event to score a 1-3/4 length victory over the fast finishing Savvy Coup, with third placed Wyndspelle another 1-1/4 lengths further back.
Melody Belle was following on from her success in the $200,000 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) on the first day of the carnival, on September 1, and also won the Group 1 $250,000 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) at Awapuni in March last year.
She has now won eight races from only 15 starts with her other victories including the $1million Listed Karaka Million at Ellerslie and Group 2 A$250,000 QTC Sires' Produce Stakes in Brisbane last year and last month's Group 2 $100,000 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa.
Melody Belle is officially owned by the Fortuna Melody Belle Syndicate and managed by Auckland's John Galvin. There are 34 individuals involved in the ownership and the Walters have the biggest shareholding. They are the only Hawke's Bay people involved.
"Trevor and Debbie have a 10 per cent share and the next biggest shareholder is a person in Australia with an 8 per cent share," Galvin said this week.
"The Walters have been keen supporters of Fortuna and great people to deal with."
Trevor Walters is now in semi-retirement after working for Foodstuffs New Zealand for 40 years.
He and wife Debbie still help their children with their business ventures but are mostly just enjoying life and racing.
Trevor Walters says he has always been a keen racing man and had always wanted to race horses.
"Debbie and I have been involved in a few other horses in the past and have had a bit of success but nothing like Melody Belle. She has been a dream come true for us," he said.
One of the first horses the Walters were involved with was Fantastic Honour, a filly that recorded two wins and three seconds when trained by Paul Shailer.
"She was a good filly and finished second behind Ruud Awakening in the Karaka Million at Ellerslie in 2012 but she broke down three races later and that was then end of that," Walters said.
"We have also had a few others over the years that have gone amiss but that is racing and I say you never give up. You keep trying and something good will come along and that is what has happened with Melody Belle."
A keen darts player, Trevor Walters said he was at home practicing one Sunday afternoon while listening to Trackside Radio when he heard an advertisement from John Galvin saying he had shares available in prospective racehorses.
"I thought it sounded like a good idea so I asked Debbie and she said we will give it one more go. So I rang John up and told him I wanted a horse that could win the Karaka Million, as we had gone so close with Fantastic Honour, and he said he had this Commands filly that would probably fit the bill."
"I didn't really know what the shares were going for but said we'd take 10 per cent."
Trevor Walters got his wish come true when Melody Belle won the Karaka Million at Ellerslie in January of last year but unfortunately he and Debbie were not on course to witness the win.
"Debbie and I have only missed two of Melody Belle's races. The first was her maiden win and the second was the Karaka Million. We had already booked a trip to Australia last January and so we were over there. But we watched the win on TV and got a huge buzz."
Melody Belle was a $57,500 purchase from the 2016 premier yearling sale and Trevor Walters said it cost him and his wife about $11,000 for their 10 per cent share, once administration costs and insurance were added on.
"John Galvin and Te Akau Racing are thoroughly professional and we have been more than happy with how everything has gone," he said.
He added that the syndicate members have already had several lucrative payouts from Melody Belle's earnings and hopefully there is more to come.
"The plan is for her to now have a short break and then be set for the Group 1 Railway at Ellerslie and we will be there to cheer her on," Walters added.
Trainer Jamie Richards has said the $200,000 Railway Stakes (1200m) on New Year's Day will be Melody Belle's next major assignment and she could then go on to the Group 1 $250,000 Telegraph Sprint (1200m) at Trentham on January 19.
Waipukurau people shared in both feature race wins at last Saturday's second day of the Hawke's Bay spring carnival.
Trevor and Debbie Walters shared in the success of Melody Belle in the Windsor Park Plate while Waipukurau Jockey Club treasurer Michael Ormsby is a member of the Te Akau Avantage Syndicate that races Avantage, winner of the Group 3 $70,000 Hawke's Bay Breeders Gold Trail Stakes.
The Fastnet Rock filly brought up her sixth win from only seven starts with a gutsy performance in what was the first race in the New Zealand Bloodstock Three-year-old filly of the year series.
Backed into hot favouritism, Avantage enjoyed a perfect run in the trail before rider Danielle Johnson pushed her out at the top of the home straight to challenge the leaders.
Avantage shot to the front soon after but then quickly came under siege from Hastings-trained filly Xpression and the two set down for a head to head tussle over the final 300m, with only a short head separating them at the line.
Michael Ormsby has been involved with Te Akau syndicates for the past three years and has had other wins with Irish Cream and Gris Dame.
He and his wife Helen have also had tremendous results with jumpers over the years and, between them, they have shared in the ownership of eight winners of either the Grand National Steeplechase or Grand National Hurdles.
Avantage was a $210,000 purchase from the 2017 Karaka yearling sales and has now won more than $806,000 in stakemoney.
Her wins last season included the Group 1 $225,000 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) and the Listed $1million Karaka Million (1200m) at Ellerslie.
Guy Lowry, who co-trains Xpression with Grant Cullen, was pleased with the filly's performance for second considering she was giving Avantage a big head start entering the final 600m.
Both horses are now expected to clash again in the Group 1 $300,000 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton on November 17.
Perseverance finally paid off for Hawke's Bay Racing chairman Elliot Cooper when Vannoss broke out of maiden ranks with a runaway 4 length victory over 2050m at Wanganui on Thursday of last week.
Cooper is the breeder and owner of the Sufficient 5-year-old, that has been a slow maturer and was having only his 10th race start.
His previous best placing had been a second over 1600m at Hastings in November last year.
"He has been a bit of a work in progress but it was good to see him finally put it all together," Cooper said.
Jockey Johnathan Parkes settled Vannoss at the tail of the field in the early stages of last week's race before starting a move around the field from the 900m.
They ranged up to challenge for the lead on the home turn and Vannoss kicked on strongly to race clear of his rivals.
It was a welcome change of fortune for Cooper, whose last victory was when Hermosa Novia won a Rating 65 race over 2100m at Otaki in November 2012.
He bred Vannoss out of the Traditionally mare Traditional Bride, who has also left the two-time place getter Sassy Bride and Champagne Bride.
Another great day of racing action is planned for the third and final day of the Bostock New Zealand Hawke's Bay spring carnival at Hastings tomorrow week with three black type events on the 10 race programme.
The weight-for-age stars will be out in force in the Group 1 $250,000 Livamol Classic (2040m) while some of the country's top 3-year-olds will do battle in the Group 2 $100,000 Sacred Falls Hawke's Bay Guineas (1400m).
The open sprinters will also get a chance to pick up some black type in the Group 3 $70,000 Red Badge Spring Sprint (1400m).
Gates will open at 11am with the first race timed for 12.30pm and the last at 5.55pm.
There will be a $25 gate charge but patrons can pre-purchase admission tickets from the Hawke's Bay Racing office at the reduced price of $15 up until next Wednesday, October 3.
Savvy Coup looks primed for the Group 1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Hastings tomorrow week after closing late to finish runner-up to Melody Belle in the Group 1 Windsor Park Plate (1600m) there last Saturday.
"I've made no secret of the fact that I think she will be a big chance in the Livamol," said Michael Pitman, who trains the Savabeel mare with son Matthew.
"Had we got clear on Saturday I don't think it would have made any difference, the winner won too good. We might not have won the race, but I'm just as happy."
Pitman said Savvy Coup is continuing to improve and depending on how she performs on the last day of the Hawke's Bay spring carnival, she could continue her spring campaign in Australia.