Tycoon Tara Delivers Melham A Treble In Bellmaine Stakes

Tycoon Tara recorded the biggest win of her career to date in the 2015 Bellmaine Stakes to deliver in-form hoop Ben Melham a treble at Caulfield this afternoon.

Tycoon Tara made her black type racing debut with an impressive win in the 2015 Bellmiane Stakes. Photo by: Adrienne Bicknell

Tycoon Tara made her black type racing debut with an impressive win in the 2015 Bellmiane Stakes. Photo by: Adrienne Bicknell

Tycoon Tara was making her debut at Group level after she started her preparation with a win in a benchmark 64 event at Dunkeld on November 15 and she was slightly slow out of the gate, but picked up quickly to find the lead.

The likes of Girl Guide, Politeness and Griante all loomed as dangers at the top of the straight, but Tycoon Tara was able to kick away from her rivals and claim what turned out to be a match-winning break.

Trainer Symon Wilde revealed after the race that he was originally planning to run Tycoon Tara at Moonee Valley this weekend, but he was delighted that the owners of the mare convinced him to start her in the Bellmaine Stakes.

Wilde said that he was thrilled with the early speed shown by Tycoon Tara in the early stages of the race and he believes that the four-year-old can continue to perform at Group level during the 2015 Melbourne Festival Of Racing.

“It was a very good win,” Wilde said.

“I was a little bit cautious before I wanted to take her to Moonee Valley in a weeks’ time, but the owners said have a go here and I’m glad they did.

“She has come a long way from a Dunkeld 64 this prep and it is onwards and upwards.

“She is a mare going places I think.”

Melham produced an outstanding ride to win the Group 2 Autumn Stakes (1400m) with San Nicasio and he added another Group 1 victory to his racing resume when he steered Dissident to success in the Group 1 Orr Stakes (1400m).

The talented hoop had been criticised in some quarters for some of his rides over the past three weeks and Melham said that he was thrilled to silence his skeptics with three winning rides at stakes level at Caulfield this afternoon.

“You are bound to get some right sometimes and it has been a terrific day,” Melham said.

“She is a very underrated mare this, she has very good ability and she has come a long way in a short period of time.

“She was little bit awkward out of the barriers, but she mustered up very quick underneath me, she got there and I was able to control it on my terms and she held on.

“It helps when you have the support of good stables behind me.”

Girl Guide was extremely well-backed in the lead-up to the Bellmaine Stakes, but she was one of the first horses beaten and finished worse than midfield.

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Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.