Success Continues for Marie Leicester

Haunui Farm graduate Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands) swept all before her in the 2017/2018 racing season becoming the first horse to win five G1’s in New Zealand in the same season. Fittingly, she was awarded the honour of New Zealand Horse of the Year at last week’s New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Awards.

Haunui Farm and her breeder, Marie Leicester, have had a long association, and it was only fitting that the farm’s first Horse of the Year, should be bred by a lady who’s family has been involved with the Chitty family almost from the start.

Haunui Farm’s Managing Director, Mark Chitty, says “We have had some great racehorses come off the farm and there have been many milestones along the way but I couldn’t think of a better way to mark our first Horse of the Year off the farm.

“It’s well documented the association that Marie’s parents, James and Annie Sarten, had with Haunui and in particular my father Ron, and that has continued with Marie and it now also stretches to her children. We’ve been through many highs and numerous lows. To breed at Horse of the Year is what we all dream about and it’s even better when her dam, Meleka Belle, was also a home-bred and is by our very own stallion, Iffraaj.”

The success continued at last Sunday’s Auckland NZTBA Breeders’ Awards where, Marie scooped the pool after receiving her G1 trophy as the breeder of Melody Belle whilst, Meleka Belle took out the honours as Broodmare of the Year and unsurprisingly, Marie was named Breeder of the Year.