Triumphant return for Black Heart Bart
Black Heart Bart made a courageous comeback to racing with a barnstorming win in today’s $100,000 Cyril Flower Stakes (1200m) at Ascot.
The son of Blackfriars had just three weeks in the spelling paddock after a stellar spring-summer campaign, which he capped with a brilliant win in the Summer Scorcher (1000m) on New Year’s Day.
In-form trainer Vaughn Sigley had both bases covered with his speedster Dawn Approach chasing his fourth straight win this year after victories in the Mungrup Sprint and Miss Andretti Stakes at his previous two starts.
Black Heart Bart was the favourite with punters backed from $3.10 into $3 ahead of Dawn Approach ($3.70, $3.60, $3.80, $3.70) and he did not disappoint.
Red hot jockey Takahide Ikenushi perched Dawn Approach on the pacemaker Pininci until letting down the throttle in the straight to race away to the front.
Glenn Smith had Black Heart Bart snuggled up about seventh in running before sweeping home down the outside to run past his stable-mate with a withering run and cruise home by 1 ¾ lengths in the Listed feature. Dawn Approach held on for fifth place.
The son of Blackfriars first-up effort was underlined by the time of 1 minute 9.64secs, which shaved .05 of a second off Escadaire’s 2011 race record.
Black Heart won his maiden over 1000m at Bunbury only last October, but now has earned $361,450 from his five wins and seven placings at 16 starts.
“This year’s Railway Stakes is our prime goal,” Sigley said. “I’ve got some very good owners and a couple of handy horses.
“But without those owners I would be chasing around after races at Narrogin.
“I was very happy with Dawn Approach who had to jump from the outside gate and you knew they were going to click up on him.”
Black Heart Bart will head into next Sunday week’s $120,000 Pinjarra Classic (1300m) and then into the $120,000 Bunbury Stakes (1400m) on March 8.
Sigley said the handicapper could determine whether the four-year-old runs in the Bunbury Stakes. Black Heart Bart is likely to cop a two kilo penalty for today’s win, being rated at 100 points.
Watermans Bay ($7) earned a ticket for Melbourne with his big effort to race into second place under his biggest weight 62kg first-up.
Trainer Dan Morton has next Saturday week’s Lightning Stakes (1000m) and the Newmarket Handicap (1200), on March 14 as his Victorian goals.
Hannan’s Handicap winner Sireeze ran home gamely at the long odds of $31 to snatch third place 2 ¾ lengths behind the winner
