Opie Bosson has had seven rides in Australia this season for three Group One wins and another three placings at the elite level.
The star New Zealand hoop will be back in action in Australia on Saturday, confident 10-time Group One-winning mare Melody Belle can add to his recent big-race haul in the $5 million All-Star Mile at Caulfield.
Melody Belle is Bosson’s only ride on the nine-race program.
In combination with Te Akau Racing’s trainer Jamie Richards, Bosson won the Group One Empire Rose Stakes at Flemington last spring on Melody Belle, a week after finishing third on stablemate Te Akau Shark in the Cox Plate.
Melody Belle and Bosson went on to finish second in the Group One Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington a week after the Empire Rose.
In three rides in Australia so far in 2020 the jockey has finished third on Melody Belle in the Futurity Stakes on February 22, before a memorable Group One double at Randwick a week later on the Richards-trained pair Probabeel (Surround) and Te Akau Shark (Chipping Norton).
“That was awesome,” Bosson said.
“It’s hard to win a Group One in Australia, but to win two of them in the one day was great on two very special horses.
“Hopefully that was just the start of the roll.”
Bosson and Richards notched another Group One double in New Zealand last Saturday, and after riding Melody Belle in an early morning gallop at Caulfield this week the jockey’s confidence has only grown ahead of the All-Star Mile.
Bosson says the improvement Melody Belle has made since the Futurity has been “amazing”.
“We always knew she was going to take that run under her belt, so coming in after that gallop I’m pretty confident,” he said.
