New Zealand mare Melody Belle has added to an outstanding Group One record in winning the Empire Rose Stakes at Flemington.

A winner of nine races at the elite level in New Zealand, Melody Belle revelled in a rain-affected track to beat last year’s VRC Oaks heroine Aristia in the 1600m weight-for-age event.

The Empire Rose is named for New Zealand’s 1988 Melbourne Cup winner and is the feature race for fillies and mares over the four-day carnival.

Credit: AAP