After failing to break a 100 year drought and defend his The Goodwood title last weekend, the Darren Weir-trained Black Heart Bart has been accepted for a seven day back-up into Saturday’s Kingsford Smith Cup 2017 field.
Due to run as Eagle Farm Race 7 at 3:55pm (AEST), this season’s $700,000 Group 1 Darley Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) has attracted a 14 horse field contesting the race formerly known as the BTC Cup.
Sitting top of the line-up and drawn a treat in barrier four is five-time Group 1 winning sprinter Black Heart Bart who has his second Eagle Farm run on the weekend.
Last Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival the now six-year-old son of Blackfriars ran at Eagle Farm producing a second to Under The Louvre in the $1.5 million Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m).
That Group 1 placing followed his Adelaide elite level success in last year’s The Goodwood (1200m), a race he finished a first-up seventh in as the beaten favourite last weekend.
Black Heart Bart was only beaten home two and a half lengths by the upset winner Vega Magic and gets the chance to atone racing on successive Saturdays in the Kingsford Smith Cup field with regular rider Brad Rawiller in the saddle again.
The defending Stradbroke Handicap winner Under The Louvre is also in the mix for Saturday’s Group 1, Robert Smerdon’s off-to-stud stallion having his final career run in the weight-for-age event.
Dwayne Dunn rides the Excellent Art six-year-old from gate eight, Under The Louvre’s sole Eagle Farm run being his Stradbroke success 12 months ago.
The galloper is second-up after an unplaced effort over 1000m at Flemington on May 6 and Smerdon’s only concern is the possibility of a Heavy-rated track for the horse’s swansong race appearance.
Two last start winners are in the Kingsford Smith Cup field for 2017 with the Kris Lees-trained futures favourite for next month’s Stradbroke Handicap Clearly Innocent and the Mick Bell-trained mudlark Jungle Edge.
Clearly Innocent leads all-in Stradbroke Handicap odds and gets the chance to retain that favouritism with a win on the weekend.
The Not A Single Doubt five-year-old is undefeated over 1300m with two wins from as many starts over the distance to date including his last start victory at Scone on May 13 in the Listed Luskin Star Stakes (1300m).
Hugh Bowman retains the ride this weekend and Clearly Innocent is set to jump from barrier nine.
Jungle Edge meanwhile is on the quick back-up after his impressive Doomben win last Saturday in the Group 3 BRC Sprint (1350m).
Relishing the Heavy (8) conditions, the flying Dubawi six-year-old carted the 58kg top weight to an impressive two and a quarter-length victory.
He meets his rivals more evenly at weight-for-age on Saturday and is looking to continue an outstanding autumn – winter campaign that also includes a Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m) third and win in Rosehill’s Group 3 Star Kingdom Stakes (1200m).
One of the early favourites in Kingsford-Smith Cup betting this season is the Lindsay Park-trained Derryn who came up trumps with barrier five.
Mark Zahra rides the Hinchinbrook colt, the gun three-year-old last seen running third to Redzel under a length beaten in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1200m).
Also coming off a top three run in the Doomben 10,000 is the Chris Waller-trained Counterattack, the second-placed Redoute’s Choice four-year-old drawn gate seven on Saturday with New Zealander Opie Bosson in the saddle again.
Waller has also accepted for Japonisme who is out to atone for his eighth in the same lead-up race.
Other notable hopes include the Robert Heathcote-trained Hopfgarten racing for the first time since his second to Music Magnate in the Group 2 Victory Stakes (1200m) at the track in late April and the Godolphin-raced Lonhro colt Impending.
Impending hasn’t run since April 8 during Sydney’s ‘The Championships’ when third behind Derryn in the Group 2 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint (1200m), but he has trialled twice since including a 1050m Randwick winning hit-out on May 19.
See below for the full Kingsford Smith Cup 2017 field, barriers and jockeys with updated odds to be released shortly at Ladbrokes.com.au.
2017 Kingsford Smith Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw
Eagle Farm Race 7 (3:55pm) – 27/05/2017
# | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Hcp. Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2129x211x7 | BLACK HEART BART | Darren Weir | Brad Rawiller | 4 | 59kg | 117 |
2 | 21x24550x0 | UNDER THE LOUVRE | Robert Smerdon | Dwayne Dunn | 8 | 59kg | 109 |
3 | 6039×65098 | JAPONISME | Chris Waller | Blake Shinn | 6 | 59kg | 106 |
4 | 1210×15010 | MUSIC MAGNATE (NZ) | Bjorn Baker | Jeff Lloyd | 13 | 59kg | 111 |
5 | x2602x8022 | COUNTERATTACK | Chris Waller | Opie Bosson | 7 | 59kg | 106 |
6 | 111x640x91 | CLEARLY INNOCENT | Kris Lees | Hugh Bowman | 9 | 59kg | 102 |
7 | 6x191212x6 | START WONDERING (NZ) | Evan & Jennifer J Rayner | Johnathan Parkes | 12 | 59kg | 107 |
8 | 028×531351 | JUNGLE EDGE | Mick Bell | Kevin Forrester | 14 | 59kg | 108 |
9 | 2018235265 | IN HIS STRIDE | Rex Lipp | Damian Browne | 2 | 59kg | 85 |
10 | x4062538x2 | HOPFGARTEN | Robert Heathcote | Ronnie Stewart | 10 | 59kg | 104 |
11 | 037×431813 | DERRYN | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Mark Zahra | 5 | 57kg | 104 |
12 | 0x11412x05 | TYCOON TARA | Peter & Paul Snowden | – | 11 | 57kg | 107 |
13 | 36x15162x5 | EGYPTIAN SYMBOL | Bjorn Baker | Damian Lane | 3 | 57kg | 98 |
14 | x3314x6433 | IMPENDING | Darren Beadman | James Doyle | 1 | 57kg | 100 |