Black Heart Bart, Bon Aurum Win at Caulfield

Black Heart Bart set up a show down with superstar mare Winx in two weeks time with his Sept. 24 romp in the Underwood (Aus-I) at Caulfield. 

A 6-year-old son of Blackfriars, Black Heart Bart stalked pacesetter The Cleaner from fourth, then third, and rallied three wide into the stretch to lead at the 200-meter mark before pulling away with Brad Rawiller for a handy 2 1/2-length triumph. He Or She got up for second, and group I winner Lucia Valentina finished third in the field of 10. 

Black Heart Bart finished 1,800 meters (about 1 1/8 miles) in 1:50.64 on turf rated as good.

Following his victory, Black Heart Bart was tabbed co-second favorite with Hartnell for the W. S. Cox Plate (Aus-I) Oct. 22 at Moonee Valley. Winx remains the hot favorite for a repeat victory in Australia's weight-for-age championship, but is expected to mark her start prior to that in the Caulfield Stakes (Aus-I), where Black Heart Bart likely awaits.

Darren Weir, trainer of Black Heart Bart, told Racing.com he had no concerns about the Underwood distance, despite the fact he was overtaken going a mile by stablemate Palentino in his previous start in the Flemington's Makybe Diva Stakes (Aus-I), in which He Or She was third, Sept. 10.

"He (jockey Brad Rawiller) produced him a bit early there and today he had a great run in off a good speed, so I was pretty happy watching it throughout," Weir said of Black Heart Bart, who has 14 wins from 34 starts for a partnership, including the New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (NZ-I) in August and Darley Goodwood Handicap (Aus-I) in May.

Durham Lodge Thoroughbred Stud is the breeder of Black Heart Bart, whose dam is the winning At Talaq mare Sister Theresa, a half sister to prominent New Zealand sire Savabeel, as well as Savannah Success, a group I winner in Australia and New Zealand.

Also on Saturday's card, Bon Aurum broke through at the elite level hold off the charge of Voodoo Lad by a long neck in the Yulong Park Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (Aus-I).

Trainer Ciaran Maher credited training on the beach at Warrnambool (Victoria)—where more than 200 horses trained before it was closed earlier this month because of concerns they posed a threat to aboriginal cultural heritage—for Bon Aurum's success.

"It is just a testament to the environment down there at the beach. It is great to get him back and claim a group I with him," Maher told g1x.com.au.

Kerin McEvoy had Bon Aurum perfectly positioned early. 

"It was a great ride by (McEvoy). He was very patient," Maher said. "He had him in the three-wide line and brought him on."

Bon Aurum, raced by a large partnership, provided Maher a seventh group I win after covering 1,400 meters (about seven furlongs) in 1:23.49. A last-out winner of the minor stakes at Flemington Sept. 10, the 4-year-old by Bon Hoffa has a 5-1-2 record from 13 starts, including the 2015 Beck Caulfield Guineas Prelude (Aus-III).