Darren Weir’s in-form Group 1 placegetter Black Heart Bart is the top early nominations taken for this year’s The Goodwood 2016 in Adelaide on May 21.

Black Heart Bart is early favourite of the 30 The Goodwood 2016 nominations taken for the Adelaide sprint classic on May 21. Photo: Steve Hart.

Saturday week sees the running of the $500,000 Group 1 Darley Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville Racecourse, and the South Australian Jockey Club (SAJC) has received 30 nominations for the sprint classic.

One of the top-rated entries and current $4 favourite in pre-field The Goodwood betting at Ladbrokes.com.au is Blackfriars five-year-old Black Heart Bart.

The Perth expat is now prepared in Victoria by Melbourne Cup winning trainer Weir who chases his second The Goodwood win following his success with Platelet in 2013.

Since arriving in Weir’s stable Black Heart Bart has been on fire running three times for a Group 3 win at Caulfield and two Group 1 seconds, the latest of which was at Randwick behind English in the Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) on April 16.

Weir has a total of three The Goodwood nominations this Adelaide Autumn Racing Carnival with the early favourite joined by stablemates Sooboog who was runner-up at the track in last weekend’s Group 2 Euclase Stakes (1200m) and Group 1 winning Stratum four-year-old Stratum Star.

Black Heart Bart meanwhile is followed in the latest The Goodwood odds by two other hopes under $10 for the win with Supido and Under The Louvre both paying $7.

Michael Kent prepares the super-consistent and very promising Sebring stallion Supido, the four-year-old having won six of his eight starts to date in non-Black Type company.

He hasn’t been defeated since April last year and was last seen defeating the likes of Admiral and Bullpit as the odds-on favourite at Flemington on May 7 over 1000m.

Under The Louvre meanwhile is a five-year-old son of Excellent Art, the Robert Smerdon-trained stallion coming off a first-up third to Sheidel in the Listed Bel Esprit Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield in late April.

He has plenty of form around stronger rivals from last spring, including his third to Stratum Star in Caulfield’s Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m).

Under The Louvre is also no stranger to Adelaide racing having finished a brave third only 1.3 lengths off the winner Flamberge in last year’s The Goodwood.

The defending The Goodwood winner Flamberge is also nominated for this year’s edition, the now Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra-trained six-year-old previous prepared by Peter Moody.

Flamberge won back-to-back Group 1s earlier this autumn in Melbourne completing the Oakleigh Plate – William Reid Stakes double before failing to fire at Randwick on April 2 when dead last (15^th) behind Chautauqua in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m).

Other notable The Goodwood hopes high up the futures markets include Robbie Griffiths’ Newmarket Handicap winner The Quarterback ($10) and recent City Of Adelaide Stakes winning four-year-old Zebulon ($13).

Also among the nominations are the likes of Barry Campbell’s Tasmanian stakes star Admiral, the Lee & Anthony Freedman-trained DC McKay Stakes winner from last Saturday Super One, runner-up in the same Group 3 lead-up Daytona Grey and the in-form Hayes & Dabernig-trained Eculase Stakes winner Faatinah who is now two-from-two at the Morphettville track.

See below for the full The Goodwood 2016 nominations, the final field for the set weights plus penalties feature declared on Wednesday May 18.

Before then make sure you back your early favourites at their generous all-in prices at Ladbrokes.com.au!

2016 The Goodwood Nominations

Morphettville Racecourse – 21/05/2016