Darren Weir’s incredible galloper Black Heart Bart continued to live up to his name ‘The King of Caulfield’ enjoying his third Group 1 success at the track in the Ladbrokes CF Orr Stakes 2017.

2017 Ladbrokes CF Orr Stakes winner Black Heart Bart will return to his pet track and distance for the Futurity Stakes next up. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Enjoying his fourth overall elite level success, the Blackfriars six-year-old was ultra-impressive getting out to his pet distance second-up in the $500,000 Group 1 Ladbrokes C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m).

“He’s a beauty,” Weir said of Black Heart Bart post-win.

“What a horse to have in your stable.

“He’s just bombproof. A great, great horse.”

The top fancy in betting, Black Heart Bart ($3.10) became seventh CF Orr Stakes favourite in eight years to salute for the punters with the tidy win over Turn Me Loose (2^nd) and Ecuador (3^rd).

Formerly raced and trained in Perth, since joining the Ballarat stables of Melbourne Cup winning horseman Weir Black Heart Bart has gone from strength to strength.

The 2017 CF Orr Stakes result made it three Group 1s at Caulfield Racecourse adding to the Memsie Stakes – Underwood Stakes double in the spring.

First-up Black Heart Bart ran a nice late second to Malaguerra at Moonee Valley in the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m), but he was never getting beaten over the 1400m at Caulfield.

“The 1400m at Caulfield he’s made it his own,” winning hoop Brad Rawiller said on Saturday.

“He was always going to be better after that first-up run.”

The horse’s number one fan, Rawiller gave the galloper the perfect ride out wide from the nasty CF Orr Stakes barrier (11 of 12).

“You’ve got no idea how much I love this horse,” he said.

“It’s fantastic when you’re on a Group 1 horse like this, even though we were drawn bad…he tells you what he’s going to do, he’s very good.”

Murray Baker’s New Zealand raider Turn Me Loose was up in front for his second-up run in the race he finished fourth in 12 months ago.

The Australia Stakes winner Malaguerra was quick to move up from the outside alley into second, while the Chris Waller-trained import Arod settled third on the rails from Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott’s evergreen seven-yearold Ecuador.

At the tail end of the field was Ciaron Maher’s returning Caulfield Cup winning mare Jameka who was very impressive late flashing home to finish just out of the money.

Rawiller meanwhile was biding his time on the track superstar Black Heart Bart racing out wide.

He called upon the horse as the home turn approached, coming down the outside and challenging the galloper Turn Me Loose who was still in front.

The eventual CF Orr Stakes winner eventually claimed the Turn Me Loose with just over 100m to go, drawing away to hand Weir his 18^th Group 1 trophy.

Black Heart Bart is now undefeated with a three-from-three record at the track and distance where he returns in a fortnight on Blue Diamond Stakes Day for the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m).

“He’ll head to the Group 1 in two weeks…it’s only racing that will improve him now,” Weir said.

The CF Orr Stakes – Futurity Stakes double was last achieved by Moment Of Change (2014) and All Too Hard (2013).

Get behind the rest of the autumn’s Group 1 winners online now including Black Heart Bart next race in the 2017 Futurity Stakes at the right price through Ladbrokes.com.au – home of Odds Boost (T&Cs apply).

2017 Ladbrokes C.F. Orr Stakes Results & Finishing Order

Caulfield Race 7 – 11/02/2017