Black Heart Bart emerges as highest rated performance at Winter carnival
BLACK Heart Bart emerged as the highest rating performance at the Winter Racing carnival in a season where Queensland had little influence on national rating charts.
BLACK Heart Bart emerged as the highest rating performance at this year’s Winter Racing carnival in a season where Queensland had little influence on national rating charts.
Respected analysts Timeform and The Ratings Bureau (using Weight-for-age Performance Ratings) had Black Heart Bart’s Stradbroke second under 58kg as the top performance at this year’s carnival.
Conceding 3.5kg to winner Under The Louvre, he went under by a skinny margin.
WPR compiler Daniel O’Sullivan said the 106.1 figure for that race put Black Heart Bart in the top 10 sprint performers of the year.
“He has established himself as a genuine G1 WFA horse,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s satisfying to see him do that as this time last year we had him rated one of the best in the country in his distance range off two WA Provincial wins. His form this year has justified that early assessment of him.”
By way of comparison, Black Heart Bart’s rating is about 4.5 lengths short of the 113 afforded Winx in the Cox Plate.
Illustrating the dominance Winx had in Australia this season, she owns the three highest WPR ratings for the term, with her Cox Plate success complimented by the Doncaster and George Ryder Stakes.
The WPRs are compiled differently to traditional methods like Timeform and official handicapper ratings and can therefore unearth some surprises.
Falling into that category is Maurus, who topped the staying performances of the Queensland carnival for his Ipswich Cup win, which was assessed higher than Our Ivanowe’s Doomben Cup, which topped the Timeform charts.
“At 103.5, if Maurus could maintain that in the Spring then he’ll be a rock solid Group 2 type horse,” O’Sullivan said.
Similarly, local filly Tiyatrolani was afforded the same figure as Sacred Elixir in heading the two-year-old division.
“Tiyatrolani will be interesting to follow as a three-year-old. That high rating win can’t be questioned and although she didn’t run up to it next start, the talent is there,” he said.
Often the BTC Cup and Doomben 10,000 emerge as the highest rating races of the Brisbane carnival, but not this year.
“A couple of the Group 1s rated well and truly below average, most notably the BTC Cup won by Malaguerra,” O’Sullivan said.
“Also, the Doomben 10,000 was run at a record fast pace and that typically sees top class horses run outstanding overall time, but in this case it was very moderate.
“They ran almost identical time to Ghisoni (the highest rated 3yo of the carnival) earlier in the day but were 1.3 seconds slower coming home — never a good sign for a Group 1 race.
“The form out of that race into the Stradbroke has done nothing to alter the opinion of the 10,000.”
WPR RATINGS
Age/Distance Australia Queensland carnival
2yo Extreme Choice 106.5 Tiyatrolani/Sacred Elixir 98.5
3yo Exosphere 107.5 Ghisoni 102.7
4yo+ Sprint Chautauqua 107.8 Black Heart Bart 106.1
4yo+ 1600m+ Winx 113 Maurus 103.5
TIMEFORM
Age/Distance Australia Queensland carnival
2yo Extreme Choice 123 Sacred Elixir 115
3yo Exosphere 127 Ghisoni 116
4yo+ Sprint Chautauqua 127 Black Heart Bart 126
4yo+ 1600m+ Winx 128 Our Ivanhowe 123
Originally published as Black Heart Bart emerges as highest rated performance at Winter carnival
Schwarz capitalises on conditions to dominate in William Reid
Schwarz scored a dominant win in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes at The Valley with the benefit of the track pattern and a break between runs.
Harry makes Everest case as star continues to rise in Galaxy
Exciting colt Private Harry gave trainer Nathan Doyle his maiden Group 1 with a performance in The Galaxy that will attract interest from Everest slot-holders.
‘Lost for words’: Emotional Berry breaks Group 1 drought
Classy galloper Gringotts claimed his maiden Group 1 and gave Tommy Berry his first in three years with a thrilling victory in the George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill.