Darren Weir’s defending champion Black Heart Bart has opened clear favourite in 2017 The Goodwood betting to go back-to-back in Adelaide’s premier sprint race this weekend.
Black Heart Bart is favourite in 2017 The Goodwood betting to successfully defend his title in the Group 1 this weekend. Photo: Jenny Barnes.
A capacity final field was announced on Tuesday for Saturday’s $1 million Group 1 Darley Goodwood (1200m), which rounds out the elite level action of the Adelaide Autumn Racing Carnival at Morphettville Racecourse.
Drawn a treat in barrier two, the same gate he saluted in the race from 12 months ago, is Weir’s returning Blackfriars gelding Black Heart Bart.
The now six-year-old won The Goodwood last autumn and is chasing back-to-back wins in the race for the first time since Musket Belle way back in 1911-12.
Black Heart Bart has enjoyed four subsequent Group 1 wins since last year’s The Goodwood result, including the CF Orr – Futurity Stakes double over 1400m at Caulfield in February.
He races first-up since his Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes Day success and currently pays $3.50 in The Goodwood odds at Ladbrokes.com.au to salute for the punters for successive years.
Despite the bumper size of the field just three other runners are currently under double-figures in The Goodwood betting including the $6.50 second elect Vega Magic.
Craig Williams rides the now Lindsay Park-trained four-year-old who races for the first time since a Group 3 A.J. Scahill Stakes (1400m) win in Perth back in December.
Saturday marks the gelding’s first run for his new stable having previously raced exclusively in WA for Sean Casey where he has enjoyed seven wins from 10 starts over The Goodwood distance.
The early The Goodwood market mover backed in from $8.50 to $7 is Mick Price’s flying mare Secret Agenda drawn well in barrier five with Damien Oliver to ride.
A four-year-old daughter of Not A Single Doubt, Secret Agenda has won her past two on the trot including the upset victory at Morphettville a fortnight back in the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m).
She returns to the same track and distance taking on the boys on Saturday, chasing the double most recently achieved by Black Caviar (2012) and Platelet (2013).
Rounding out the single-figure The Goodwood fancies at $8 is the Peter Gelagotis-trained Malaguerra in his Adelaide race debut.
The reigning Darley Classic winner is out to improve on a last start seventh to Chautauqua at Randwick on April 1 in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m), which followed a sixth to Black Heart Bart in the CF Orr Stakes.
Of the double figure fancies some of the standouts chasing an upset include the Simon Miller-trained WA raider First Among Equals ($17) and the local Lloyd Kennewell-trained Viddora ($19) coming off an ace run of placings including the Robert Sangster second.
Check out the latest The Goodwood 2017 betting odds below, pricing open now at Ladbrokes.com.au.
