Bletchingly Stakes Considered For Black Heart Bart’s Return

Multiple Group 1 winner Black Heart Bart could kick off his 2018 Melbourne Spring Carnival campaign in the Group 3 $150,000 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on July 28.

Black Heart Bart hasn’t raced since finishing ninth to Pounamu in the Group 1 $1m Magic Millions-Kingston Town Classic (1800m) at Ascot last December during the Perth Summer Racing Carnival but has come to hand nicely with a solid win in a jump out at Coleraine yesterday.

The Darren Weir trained Black Heart Bart was held together in beating his opposition which included high profile stablemates Kings Will Dream, Humidor and Big Duke.

Weir’s Warrnambool foreman Jarrod McLean was happy with the performances of the big name players and said that the Bletchingly Stakes looks a good starting point for Black Heart Bart as he heads towards his first major assignment of the Spring in the Group 1 $1m Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on September 1.

Black Heart Bart was the winner of the 2016 Memsie Stakes and was runner up last year to the Lindsay Park trained Vega Magic.

“We might see Bart next week in the Bletchingly,” McLean told racing.ccom.

“He’s probably a year older and we’d probably want to get to a Memsie third-up rather than second-up.

“He’s coming off a long spell so Weiry will have a good think about that.”

In between the Bletchingly Stakes and the Memsie Stakes, Black Heart Bart will be joined by King’s Will Dream, Humidor and Big Duke in the Group 2 $200,000 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 18.

Black Heart Bart’s last visit to the winner’s stall was well over twelve months ago when he beat his stablemate Tosen Stardom in the Group 1 $500,000 italktravel Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield during the 2017 Melbourne Autumn Carnival.

Early betting for the 2018 Memsie Stakes has Black Heart Bart marked at $16 while the 2018 Stradbroke Handicap winner Santa Ana Lane heads the market order at $6 just in front of Kementari at $8.

– horseracing.com.au

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