Bart ready for Kingston Town challenge

Black Heart Bart will try to avenge his last-start defeat in the final G1 race of the year in Perth.

Jarrod McLean is confident Black Heart Bart can capture the final Group One race for the year and give the Darren Weir stable successive Kingston Town Stakes victories.

Weir won last year’s 1800m-feature with Stratum Star and is in Perth overseeing the final stages of Black Heart Bart’s preparation for Saturday’s race at Ascot.

Black Heart Bart is the $3.50 favourite following his close second to Great Shot in the Railway Stakes (1600m) on November 25.

Brad Rawiller, who received an eight-meeting ban at Moonee Valley on Friday night, began his suspension immediately to ensure he was back in time to ride Black Heart Bart on Saturday.

Weir’s assistant McLean said Black Heart Bart galloped at Lindsey Smith’s Perth property on Saturday morning and will have another gallop on Tuesday to round out the preparation.

“It was a little foreign to him because he galloped on Lindsey’s sand track, but he galloped with Trap For Fools and Weiry was really happy,” McLean said.

“He’s come on great and hopefully that’s bad news for the opposition unless there’s a three-year-old that comes out of the ground.

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“But I just can’t see anything turning the tables on him.”

McLean said three-year-olds Perfect Jewel and Achernar Star, who finished one-two in the WA Guineas at Ascot on November 25, may be the two three-year-olds to emerge.

“Achernar Star should have won the Guineas and Bob Peters targets the race with his fillies,” McLean said.

“Perfect Reflection won it two years ago on a wet track and he looks like running Perfect Jewel this year.”

McLean said stablemate Ulmann woult not take his place in Saturday’s race after finishing eighth in the Railway Stakes.

Instead he will be saved for the Group Three AJ Scahill Stakes (1400m) the following week.

“The feeling is it will be a field of five or six,” McLean said.

“That’s his chance. He couldn’t turn the tables on those horses that beat him home getting out to 1800 metres.”