Victoria’s leading trainer Darren Weir has decided to bypass the Group 1 $600,000 Schweppes All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday with Black Heart Bart because of the prospect of another rain affected track.
Black Heart Bart, above, will bypass the All Aged Stakes and head to Adelaide for the Goodwood at Morphettville. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Weir will instead freshen up Black Heart Bart and head to Adelaide to give him a chance to defend his title in the Group 1 $1m Darley Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville on May 20.
“He definitely won’t run in the All Aged, the track is a bit of a concern and The Goodwood is really just a better race for him,” Weir told racing.com.
“He won’t have another run before heading to Adelaide, he’ll just have a jump out in the lead-up.”
The 2017 Sydney Autumn Carnival has been plagued with heavy tracks over the past month and the Randwick track is currently rated a heavy 8 on Tuesday morning with more showers predicted in the lead up to the weekend.
Black Heart Bart was one of eighteen horses nominated for the All Aged Stakes and is currently equal favourite at $4.20 with the Kris Lees trained Le Romain at Ladbrokes.com.au.
Weir took Black Heart Bart to Adelaide last year after finishing a close second to English in the All Aged Stakes where the Black Friars gelding won the first of his five Group 1 trophies in the Goodwood at Morphettville.
Since then the six year old won two Group 1s at Caulfield during the 2016 Melbourne Spring Carnival, the $500,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m) and the $500,000 Hyland Race Colours Underwood Stakes (1800m).
Black Heart Bart then showed his affinity with Caulfield by winning two more Group 1s there during the 2017 Melbourne Autumn Carnival, the $500,000 Ladbrokes C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) and the $500,000 italktravel Futurity Stakes (1400m).
Black Heart Bart is currently the $3.20 favourite to win back to back Goodwoods ahead of stablemates Voodoo Lad at $7 and Hellbent at $8.
Voodoo Lad and Hellbent are both nominated for the All Aged Stakes and the Group 3 $150,000 Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday.
