Punters are confident in the horse's chances but jockey Brad Rawiller says favourite Black Heart Bart will improve significantly on his performance in Saturday's Group II PB Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.
Sportsbet customers backed Black Heart Bart from $3.20 to $3 before the withdrawals of Lankan Rupee and Duke Of Brunswick pushed his price into a $2.60 favourite over Hartnell at $3.20.
Rawiller told RSN927 the Darren Weir-trained Black Heart Bart would have every chance from barrier four after the scratchings but the gelding would improve leading into the Group I Memsie Stakes (1400m) on September 2.
"From barrier four, he'll be able to bounce into a lovely spot and have a rest," Rawiller said.
"Even though we'll be riding to make sure he has a good run for the Memsie, he's just going to be in the right spot to be a good winning chance.
"Being realistic, he's first-up with the Memsie in a fortnight's time, which is a real target of his being a million-dollar race so whatever he does this weekend, he's going to be quite a bit better next time out."
Black Heart Bart has won all his four starts over the Caulfield 1400m course, including three Group I wins, which increased Rawiller's confidence in the seven-year-old's chances of a first-up victory.
"Without doubt that's his best track and distance where he's unbeaten and had Group I wins at that track and distance and that gives me great confidence," Rawiller said.
Black Hart Bart struggled in his last two runs in the autumn in the Goodwood in Adelaide and the Kingsford-Smith Stakes on a poor Eagle Farm surface in May but Rawiller said the son of Blackfriars had returned to Weir's stable in good order.
"He has come back really well. He looks fantastic and I can't wait for the weekend," Rawiller said.
"He's not screwed down yet. He's in great order and feels terrific and I'm really pleased with the barrier we've drawn on the weekend because if he'd drawn out wide, he probably wouldn't be ready to make things happen like he normally does and he might have gone back out of our ground."
