Racing: Camino Rocoso may help Melody Belle in search for record at $400,000 Herbie Dyke Stakes

Camino Rocoso is a tearaway leader who puts tempo into races. Photo / Race Images

One of the terrors of New Zealand racing could be champion mare Melody Belle's new best friend as she chases her place in New Zealand racing history at Te Rapa on Saturday.

Melody Belle goes into the $400,000 Herbie Dyke Stakes trying to win her 14th Group 1 race, which would take her one clear of Sunline and into sole ownership of the record for wins at the highest level by a New Zealand-trained thoroughbred.

She will be around $1.30 to achieve that feat but drew slightly awkwardly at barrier eight in the 10-horse field, suggesting she may settle midfield at best in the shortish run to the first bend at the 2000m starting point.

Although Melody Belle is the class horse of the field, getting midfield or further back can be tricky in weight-for-age races, especially with so many of New Zealand's 2000m events being stop-start affairs.

Enter Camino Rocoso, 11-race winner and tearaway leader who puts genuine tempo into almost every race he starts, including the Herbie Dyke last year.

Runaway leaders who gallop close to even time in front can be annoying for the others who like to settle close to the pace as they can have to drag the field up to the leader and often spend part of the race in no-man's land. Then, if they do catch the leader, they become sitting ducks.

But the Camino Rocosos of the world tend to help the best horse in the race because the harder they go the less chance of traffic snarl-ups and bad luck, and the class horses rise to the top.

All of that should help Melody Belle and she has the best jockey in the business in Opie Bosson to time that surge after the leaders as she tries to chase them and Sunline down.

Bosson was touch and go to ride Melody Belle at Trentham two weeks ago after weight battles heading into the race but rode Sword Of State to win carrying 57.5kg at Matamata yesterday so looks certain to be fine for Melody Belle's 57kg.

The likelihood of a solid or even better speed should also suit the only other horses rated over 100 points in the Herbie Dyke, with The Chosen One, defending champion Tiptronic and Beauden all naturally suited by having the pace on, although The Chosen One can't possibly be at his peak having not raced since his Melbourne Cup fourth in November.

Although Melody Belle should be able to handle barrier eight in the Herbie Dyke her stablemate Avantage has been handed a far trickier assignment after drawing the outside of the 11-horse field in the star-studded BCD Sprint.

Although she still looks certain to settle in front of the exciting Levante (barrier seven) because the latter likes to get back in her races, Avantage now doesn't have the preferred option of falling easily into the running line and dictating the race.

Her wide draw saw her drift from $1.90 to $2.10, with Levante at $2.30 and the only other horse in the race in single figures Callsign Mav ($8) copping barrier 10, leaving some jockeys with plenty of thinking to do.

● Today's Matamata meeting was abandoned after just three races due to concerns over track safety.

The track became slippery after misty rain fell on the firm track and after some of the juveniles looked uncomfortable on the surface in race two, jockeys reported horses slipping in race three.

After a track inspection the rest of the meeting was abandoned for safety reasons.