Memsie Stakes winner Black Heart Bart heads up the nominations for the Group 1 $500,000 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Black Heart Bart, above, is one of three Darren Weir trained horses nominated fro the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Black Heart Bart is one of three horses from the stable of premiership winning trainer Darren Weir that make up the fourteen nominations for the weight for age Group 1.
Weir’s other entries are 2015 Melbourne Cup winner Prince Of Penzance and 2016 Australian Guineas winner Palentino.
Damien Oliver will take over the reins on Black Heart Bart from the suspended Brad Rawiller who rode the gelding to victory in the Group 1 $500,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 27.
Palentino and Prince Of Penzance will be taking on their stablemate again after finishing fifth and eleventh respectively in the Memsie Stakes.
Rising Romance ran a tidy first up second to Black Heart Bart in the Memsie Stakes and is one of three horses trained by David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig nominated for the Makybe Diva Stakes.
The Lindsay Park training partnership has also entered Memsie Stakes fourth placegetter Tashbeeh along with He Or She who will strip fitter after finishing seventh to Black Heart Bart just ahead of Victoria Derby winner Tarzino who is set to go around in the Makybe Diva Stakes.
The Tony McEvoy trained Alpine Eagle is another coming off a first up run in the Memsie Stakes when sixth and will appreciate the step up to 1600m.
Kiwi mare Sofia Rosa will have a change of rider in the Makybe Diva Stakes with New Zealand jockey Danielle Johnson taking over from Oliver who steered her into tenth spot in the Memsie Stakes.
Melbourne Jockey Daniel Moor gets the ride on the Lee and Anthony Freedman trained Our Ivanhowe in the Makybe Diva Stakes at his first run back since winning the Group 1 $650,000 Hardy Brothers Doomben Cup (2000m) at Doomben during the 2016 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival.
The John O’Shea trained Tally, Entirely Platinum from the Team Hawkes’ stable and nine year old war horse Happy Trails are also among the early nominations for Saturday’s Group 1.
With only fourteen horses nominated for the Makybe Diva Stakes, the Victoria Racing Club has elected to extend the nomination deadline until 10am on Tuesday September 6, 2016.
Early market order for the Makybe Diva Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au: $2.20 Black Heart Bart, $6.50 Palentino, $8 Tarzino, $10 Our Ivanhowe, $13 Rising Romance, $15 Alpine Eagle, Entirely Platinum, He Or She, $17 Sofia Rosa, $26 Tashbeeh, $31 Prince Of Penzance, Tally, $34 Happy Trails, $151 Ayres Rock.
