The second G1 of the year saw a return to normalcy with the class pair of Melody Belle beating her younger stablemate Avantage by a nose. Melody Belle had been outgunned twice in Australia so was sent home for easier pickings and came up trumps. Today was her eleventh victory at G1 but she is still outside of New Zealand to beat a field of all comers. The winners and where they came from in race order were led (a neck in front and one-off the inside), led (length and a half ahead and one-off the fence), third (a length behind and four-wide), sixth (last inner and four lengths from the leader), second (a neck back the outer), third (a length back and three-off the inside), tenth (four-off the inside and six lengths from the leader), fourth (a length back and trailing on the inner), fourth (two and a half lengths back and five-wide) and third (two lengths from the leader and four wide). Only two runners came from further back than fourth on the turn on the day with the 9yo Go Nicholas coming from last (sixth) to bury his small field and Aegon coming from tenth turning in (he was still sixth at the 50m) to get up. So it was a vast majority you had to be there all day meeting. Melody Belle had been off the pace in her two Australian starts so was sent home for easier pickings and immediately found the depth more too her level. She had a great run fifth the outer and moved up wide turning for home to be fourth then in a dour finish led at the 50m and held on by a nostril flare. It was her sixteenth win from thirty-three starts and the 6yo mare will find New Zealand depth once again is very beatable in whatever other targets her connections select. A close second was her Australian bred stablemate Avantage that has won four G1 races in her eleven wins from twenty starts so far. She raced seventh the outer today and was sixth across the top and came up the widest turning for home poised and kept coming but could not quite beat her better performed stablemate. Third home was the first G1 winner of this season in Callsign Mav that scored at $82 here the first day two weeks ago and today was still paying almost $20. The 4yo gelding settled down second but was six to eight lengths behind a mad leader in The Mitigator and he actually towed up the field to be a threat turning for home. The fact he led at the 300m and was only headed the last 50m to go down by half a length spoke volumes and showed his first day win was no fluke. Fourth home and a logical improver was Two Illicit second up and she ran on well from ninth turning for home but was beaten two lengths. Pris De Fer ran on well too for fifth beaten four lengths after being third last the outer on settling and he really hit the line well. Supera was running on okay next for sixth after also settling well back while Germanicus was also seen running on down the outer from eighth turning for home. Sultan Of Swing fought on for eighth after being tenth turning for home and was followed in by Loire that disappointed after being sixth or seventh the inner. The rest came home at intervals with the two biggest shocks filling the last two placings. Jennifer Eccles which started very well backed, after an eyecatching fourth here the first day, stopped badly the run home to beat one. And also Vancooga, which ran on well late in the first G1 here, ran last today and was in that position on settling and she could never get warm always being two lengths detached and ended up last home beaten fourteen lengths. This was a serious run mile with the winner clocking 1:33.88 and several of the runners today really felt it at the finish. The top three home were dominant at the finish with fourth and fifth being runs of merit. Melody Belle was winning this for the third time in a row having last season been the first winner of the Triple Crown at Hastings.