There are only three runners and Australia’s best racehorse is one of them but rival jockey Brad Rawiller is happy to plead the case of his mount in the 2016 Ladbrokes Stakes on Saturday Black Hart Bart.
The powerhouse force that is Chris Waller’s $7 million earning mare Winx has seen all but two other runners avoid a clash with the champion at Caulfield this weekend in the $500,000 Group 1 Ladbrokes Stakes (2000m).
On the back of an 11-straight winning streak that includes seven Group 1 victories, Street Cry mare Winx is out to keep it going when she lines-up at Caulfield Racecourse for the first time.
Not wanting to fall to the Kingston Town curse that saw his same 11 race domination end when he ran second to Hyperno in the 1980 Caulfield Stakes, Winx is at $1.20 on the latest markets at Ladbrokes.com.au.
He Or She ($31) is there to round out the Ladbrokes Stakes trifecta, while the money is slowly dripping in for the Darren Weir-trained Black Heart Bart ($5.50 into $4.60) to score on of recent racing history’s biggest upsets.
A six-year-old son of Blackfriars, Black Heart Bart comes off some very imposing form himself having finished top two in his nine latest starts.
Among those are a trio of elite level victories, most recently in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) a fortnight back.
That was the former Perth-trained gelding’s third start and third win at the Caulfield track, giving him one tick over Winx heading into Saturday.
He may have that over Caulfield Guineas Day’s drawcard contender, but when it comes to the distance Winx has the upper hand.
Black Heart Bart stepped out over further than a mile for the first time in the Underwood, handling the meters without a worry winning by 2.5 lengths.
Winx on the other hand has had two runs over 2000m including her Cox Plate win by nearly five lengths 12 months ago.
Rawiller retains the ride on Black Heart Bart having ridden him for his three Group 1 victories and is putting the Winx hype to the side, focusing on giving his horse the best possible shot at adding a fourth top level win to his record.
“I’m approaching it just the same as I would any other Group 1,” Rawiller told the Bendigo Advertiser.
“I always go into any race, certainly a Group 1, with confidence in my horse and I certainly can do that with Black Heart Bart. He’s pretty good.
“There’s no question that Winx has got the runs on the board as far as she’s Australia’s best horse. I don’t think anyone can question that.
“If I had to vote right now, I’d say the same – that she’s Australia’s best horse.”But Black Heart Bart can’t have done any more than he’s done. All you can do is win and when he hasn’t won he’s been so game in defeat.
“All those seconds you could make a pretty strong case why he could’ve won. I’m not seeing why we’re not right in the race up to our ears.”
Access all the best Caulfield odds this weekend online now at Ladbrokes.com.au!