Black Heart Bart (foaled 11 September 2010) is a retired six-time

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (racing), a historic (until 1981) classification for Touring car racing, applied to standard touring cars. Comparable to modern FIA Group N * Group On ...

winning

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n bred thoroughbred racehorse.

Background

Black Heart Bart was purchased by senior part owner Kim Renner for $20,000 at the 2012

Magic Millions Magic Millions Sales Pty Ltd is an Australian Thoroughbred racehorse auction house which holds auctions around Australia each year including its world famous Gold Coast Yearling Sale at Surfers Paradise in Queensland. Seven days of auctions are ...

Perth Yearling Sale.

Racing career

2013/14: three-year-old season

Unraced as a two-year-old, Black Heart Bart made his race debut on the 7 December 2013, finishing unplaced at Western Australia's

Ascot Racecourse Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...

. Black Heart Bart would have a further seven starts as a three-year-old without success.

2014/15: four-year-old season

Black Heart Bart won his first race on the 19 October 2014 in a maiden race at Bunbury Racecourse. As a four-year-old he raced twelve times, winning seven, including four at

Listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

level.

2015/16: five-year-old season

Black Heart Bart won his first three races as a five year old, which included victories in the

Northerly Stakes The Northerly Stakes is a Perth Racing Group 3 Thoroughbred handicap horse race for horses aged four years old and upwards, over a distance of 1400 metres at Ascot Racecourse, Perth, Western Australia in October. Prize money is A$150,000. Histor ...

and

Lee Steere Stakes The Lee Steere Stakes is a Perth Racing Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race held under weight for age conditions, for horses aged three years old and older, over a distance of 1400 metres at Ascot Racecourse, Perth in November. Prize money ...

. Trainer Vaughn Sigley announced that in the new year the horse would be transferred to a larger stable in Victoria where the horse could contest better races. Sigley said, “The plan is to send him over east, you will find he will be going to Darren Weir who is on fire with his horses over there.” At his first run for new trainer Darren Weir, Black Heart Bart was narrowly beaten into second place in the

Newmarket Handicap The Newmarket Handicap is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred open handicap horse race over a distance of 1200 metres, at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia on Super Saturday in March during the VRC Autumn Racing Carnival. Prize ...

Flemington Racecourse Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is the world's richest handicap and the world's richest 3200-metre horse race. The racecou ...

and the

All Aged Stakes The All Aged Stakes is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred Weight for Age horse race, run over a distance of 1,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia in April or May during the ATC Autumn Carnival. Prize money is A$600,0 ...

Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing located in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse is Crown Land leased to the Australian Turf Club and known to many Sydney ra ...

, before winning his first

race in

The Goodwood The Goodwood is a South Australian Jockey Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three years old and older, run at set weights with penalties, over a distance of 1200 metres at Morphettville Racecourse, Adelaide, South Australia in the SAJC Au ...

. Black Heart Bart settled midfield early during the race from his inside barrier and then came with a strong sprint in the straight under jockey Brad Rawiller to score impressively. “All of his runs for me have been terrific,” Weir said after the win. “His form before he came over to us was terrific and it’s great to see a horse like him win a Group One. He’s a good class horse and he gallops at home like you’d expect him to.”

2016/17: six-year-old season

Black Heart Bart won his second Group 1 race when winning the 2016

Memsie Stakes The Memsie Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under weight for age conditions, for horses aged three years old and upwards, over a distance of 1400 metres. It is held at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australi ...

. Two starts later he won his third Group 1 when a dominant 2.5 length winner in the

Underwood Stakes The Underwood Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race, run over 1800 metres under weight-for-age conditions, held at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in late September each year. Total prize money for the ra ...

. Two weeks after this victory it set up his first race against champion horse Winx who was on an 11 race winning streak. Lining up in a small field of three runners in the

Caulfield Stakes The Might and Power, registered as the Caulfield Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group One, Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under weight-for-age conditions, for three-year-olds and upwards, run over a distance of 2,000 metres at Caulfield R ...

, Black Heart Bart led the field but was eventually beaten 2 lengths by Winx. In February 2017, Black Heart Bart won back-to-back Group 1 races in the

C F Orr Stakes The C F Orr Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race at Weight for Age, run over a distance of 1400 metres at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in February. Total prize money is A$750,000. Histo ...

and the Futurity Stakes.

2017/18: seven-year-old season

Black Heart Bart only raced on seven occasions in his seven-year-old season but still managed to place in three Group 1 races, the 2017

Makybe Diva Stakes The Makybe Diva Stakes, previously called the Craiglee Stakes, is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race at Weight for age conditions for three year olds and older, over a distance of 1,600 metres held at Flemington Racecourse in M ...

and Railway Stakes.

2018/19: eight-year-old season

Black Heart Bart contested five races as an eight-year-old with all his runs being unplaced. After the 2018

Toorak Handicap The Toorak Handicap is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run as an open handicap race, over a distance of 1,600 metres at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia. Currently, the prizemoney is A$1,000,000. History The ...

where he finished 16th at the odds of 30/1, it was announced that the horse would be retired due to injury.

2019/20: nine-year-old season

After a lay-off of almost twelve months, it was announced that Black Heart Bart would return to racing under new trainer Lindsey Smith. The news of the horse's return, having been retired after a series of poor performances and injuries caused much criticism in the media. Responding to this negative media, new trainer Lindsey Smith released a statement saying, "I'm a horse trainer and I've been doing it for a long time. I love animals and I won't send him to a race track if I don't think he'll be competitive." On the 31 August 2019, Black Heart Bart returned to racing in the

. Starting at the odds of 60/1 he was beaten 4 lengths into 8th placing. Three weeks later he contested the

Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes The Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, registered as the Invitation Stakes, is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred open handicap horse race, run over a distance of 1400 metres at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in late September. Tota ...

and finished in 11th position beaten 6.75 lengths by

Begood Toya Mother Begood Toya Mother (25 August 2014 – 7 September 2022) was a Group 1 winning Australian thoroughbred racehorse. Background The gelding was purchased at the 2016 Adelaide Magic Millions yearling sale for A$28,000. Racing career The horse w ...

. A week later, Black Heart Bart started in the

Caulfield Racecourse Caulfield Racecourse Reserve is located nine kilometres from the Melbourne CBD, on the boundary of Caulfield and Caulfield East in Melbourne's south eastern suburbs. The Reserve was set aside for three purposes, racing, recreation and a publi ...

, a race he had won three years prior in 2016. Starting at the odds of 100/1 he managed to hold off his competitors and won the race by a short neck margin, winning his sixth Group 1 race in the process. Two weeks later, Black Heart Bart was narrowly beaten into second place in the

. This would be the last time the horse would place in a race, having another five runs before bleeding from both nostrils in the

Hyperion Stakes The Hyperion Stakes is a Perth Racing Group 3 Thoroughbred horse race held under Weight for Age conditions, over a distance of 1600 metres at Belmont Park Racecourse, Perth, Western Australia in June. Prizemoney is A$200,000. History Distance * ...

where he finished last. The horse was retired from racing immediately and trainer Lindsey Smith reported the following day he had recovered well since the race and would enjoy his retirement. It was announced Black Heart Bart would be retired to live out his life on a cattle farm in

Albany, Western Australia Albany ( ; nys, Kinjarling) is a port city in the Great Southern region in the Australian state of Western Australia, southeast of Perth, the state capital. The city centre is at the northern edge of Princess Royal Harbour, which is a ...

Pedigree

References

{{reflist Australian racehorses Racehorses bred in Australia Racehorses trained in Australia 2010 racehorse births