Damien Oliver will take over from the suspended Brad Rawiller on the Cox Plate bound Black Heart Bart when he chases Group 1 win number three in the $500,000 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on September 10.
Damien Oliver, above, will ride Black Heart Bart in the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington, Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Rawiller has been aboard the Darren Weir trained Black Heart Bart for four of his last five starts but will have to miss the ride in the Makybe Diva Stakes after Racing Victoria stewards rubbed him out until September 11 for careless rising.
Rawiller appealed the seven meeting suspension stewards handed to him for causing interference in the Group 1 $500,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 27 when he allowed the winner Black Heart Bart to shift in at the 1100m mark causing interference to Sofia Rosa and Prince of Penzance.
Rawiller pleaded with the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board to reduce his suspension by one day so he could maintain his association with Black Heart Bart in the Makybe Diva Stakes but his request was denied.
The seven meeting suspension is piggybacked onto a careless riding suspension Rawiller received at Sandown during the previous week.
Rawiller was naturally disappointed with the decision but vowed through twitter to return to the track fitter for the rest of the Spring Racing Carnival when he resumes riding.
“Time to make a negative a positive and train my arse off and return with my weight fully controlled,” Rawiller tweeted.
From four rides on Black Heart Bart since has transferred from Perth trainer Vaughn Sigley to Weir’s Victorian stable, Rawiller has recorded three wins and a second, two at Group 1 level.
As well as winning the Memsie Stakes, Rawiller and Black Heart Bart combined to win the Group 1 $500,000 Darley Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville on May 21 and the pair were beaten a nose when second to Under The Louvre in the Group 1 $1.5m AAMI Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm during the Brisbane Winter Carnival.
Their other win together was in the Group 3 $150,000 Victoria Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield on March 26.
Weir has set Black Heart Bart on a course that will lead him to the Group 1 $3m Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 22 and the six year old is currently marked at $19 with Ladbrokes.com.au for the Weight For Age Championship.
“The owners are very keen to go to the Cox Plate and we will follow a path to that,” Weir said after Black Heart Bart’s Memsie Stakes win.
“They just said if you are not happy along the way and you want to deviate then we are happy to do that, but we will aim towards the Cox Plate and see how far we get.”
Early Cox Plate market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $2.50 Winx, $17 Highland Reel, The United States, Tosen Stardom, $19 Black Heart Bart, Lucia Valentina, $21 Xtravagant.
