Melbourne’s premiership winning trainer Darren Weir will give Black Heart Bart the chance to take on the best weight for age horses during the 2016 Melbourne Spring Carnival in the Group 1 $3m Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley.
Black Heart Bart , above, will be set for the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in the Spring. Photo by Jenny Barnes.
Black Heart Bart is yet to win beyond 1420m but the former West Australian trained galloper did run second over 2100m behind Perth star Delicacy in the 2015 Group 2 $250,000 C.B. Cox Stakes (2100m) at Ascot.
The five year is still enjoying a short break after being nosed out by Under The Louvre in the Group 1 $1.5m AAMI Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm during the Brisbane Winter Carnival.
Weir said that he will be steadily increasing Black Heart Bart’s distances during his Spring Campaign as he heads steps up to the 204om of the weight for age championship at the end of October.
“The owners are keen to try and stretch him out over a bit of distance, I think they’ve got their mind set on the Cox Plate,” Weir told Racing.com’s Racing Ahead on RSN 927.
“So we’ll head that way and see how far we get.
“He’s one of those horses that can do anything I think – he’s just a great genuine horse.
“The 2000m might stretch him a bit but there’ll be something along the way.
“They just said we’re happy to head that way and if you’re not happy, just change direction during the campaign and go to what you think.
“They’re a great bunch of blokes to train for – they just asked if we could head that way and see how far we get, so we’re more than happy to do that.”
Black Heart Bart won ten races in the West under the care of prominent Perth trainer Vaughn Sigley while Weir has been able to secure two wins and three seconds since the five year old was transferred to his Victorian stable early in the year.
Black Heart Bart kicked off his Autumn Carnival under the hands of Weir with a second to The Quarterback in the Group 1 $1.25m Lexus Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington followed by a win in the Group 3 $150,000 Victoria Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield.
Weir then took the gelding to Sydney for the Group 1 $600,000 Schweppes All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick where he ran second to the Gai Waterhouse trained English.
A freshen up then saw Black Heart Bart win the Group 1 $500,000 Darley Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville on May 21 before heading to Brisbane for the Stradbroke Handicap.
Black Heart Bart is currently marked at $41 for the Cox Plate at Ladbrokes.com.au who have 2015 winner Winx as the $2.80 favourite.
