Black Heart Bart odds-on in G1 Futurity

When it comes to winning Group One races in Australia over the past 12 months, only champion Winx can boast a better record than Black Heart Bart.

Since joining the Darren Weir stable from Western Australia a year ago, Black Heart Bart has had 10 starts in Group One races for four wins and five seconds.

His only failure was in last year’s Cox Plate when he ran ninth behind Winx.

While the undisputed champion Winx will chase her 10th Group One win – and seventh in the past 12 months – in Saturday’s Chipping Norton Stakes in Sydney, Black Heart Bart is odds-on favourite to win his fifth in the Futurity Stakes at Caulfield.

Black Heart Bart’s first Group One win came in last season’s Goodwood in Adelaide in May, while already this season he has won the Memsie Stakes, Underwood Stakes and C F Orr Stakes at the top level.

Both Winx and Black Heart Bart will be chasing their fourth Group Ones wins of the season on Saturday.

Black Heart Bart’s only defeat at Caulfield from five starts was his second to Winx in last spring’s Caulfield Stakes over 2000m.

After overcoming a wide draw to win the C F Orr last start, Black Heart Bart is the $1.80 favourite over the same 1400m course and distance in Saturday’s weight-for-age race which has a field of nine.

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His jockey Brad Rawiller is confident the gelding can maintain his unbeaten record over the course and distance.

“He’s had three starts over the Caulfield 1400 metres and won them all,” Rawiller said.

“So I just think he’s well-placed and he’s the horse to beat, simple as that.

“He hasn’t gone backwards. He’s coming along beautifully and he’s going to run a great race again on the weekend.

“I just go into the weekend very confident.”

Turn Me Loose and Palentino finished second and equal fourth respectively in the C F Orr and share the second line of betting at $7.50 while Lucky Hussler is at $9.50.

Weir, who is yet to win a Futurity Stakes, will saddle up almost half the field with Black Heart Bart, Palentino, Lucky Hussler and Tosen Stardom.

New Zealander Turn Me Loose is striving for back-to-back Futurity wins to become the seventh multiple winner of the race.