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Black Heart Bart - Potential Comeback

East Coast Racing
PCPC    2,190 posts
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Darren Weir’s former iron sprinter Black Heart Bart is poised to make a surprise comeback as a key member of Lindsey Smith’s Victorian-based “dad’s army.”

The five-time Group One winner, who was retired after finishing down the track in last year’s Toorak Handicap at Caulfield, will be inspected by vets at Ballarat tomorrow, a crucial step towards a spring comeback.

Perth-based Smith, who has a satellite squad of 13 at Darren Weir’s former stables at Warrnambool, said Black Heart Bart had been sent to Warrnambool from Weir’s Maldon farm a few weeks ago.

“Weiry was using him as a pony to keep an eye on his cattle,” said Smith, who is considering a full-time move to Warrnambool.

“I remember the horse back in 2017 when he came to Perth and he was about 90 per cent and I can tell you he’s 100 per cent now.

“He’s like a three-year-old. The vet who has always looked after him said he’s never seen him better and Shane Jackson said he felt great when he worked him the other morning.”

Smith said he expected Ballarat vets to give Black Heart Bart the all-clear tomorrow.

Racing Victoria chief steward Robert Cram said eight-year-old Black Heart Bart would be assessed by RV vets after an official trial.

“Given he is an officially retired racehorse he will have to be reinstated via the Australian Rules Of Racing, which involves stringent vet tests, trials and so on,” Cram said.

He added that the difficulty of achieving such clearance “depended on the horse and the reason they were retired.”

A vet test after the Toorak reported some lameness in Black Heart Bart and internal bleeding.

Smith said he intended to trial Black Heart Bart in coming weeks and suggested he might resume in the Spring Stakes at Morphettville on August 19.

“Something a little bit easier than Melbourne,” he said.

Cram said Smith had not yet lodged a stable return for Black Heart Bart “and he’ll have to do that before he can do anything else.”

Black Heart Bart has won 16 of his 53 starts and over $4 million. His Group One victories were The Goodwood, Memsie Stakes, Underwood Stakes, Orr Stakes and Futurity Stakes.

Smith is also the new trainer of dual Group One winning seven-year-old Malaguerra and Group One winner Scales Of Justice, who is in work at Warrnambool. The six-year-old will be joined by Malaguerra at Warrnambool next week.

By Matt Stewart

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