By Adam Pengilly
Vaughn Sigley has an easy way for lining up Kingstown Town Classic favourite Magic Artist.
The Australian Bloodstock import ran fourth in the Emirates Stakes, Sigley's He Or She was close up in fifth and there is no way the latter can match motors with stablemate Black Heart Bart when put down on the track.
Time to shine: Trainer Vaughn Sigley is optimistic about Black Heart Bart's chances on Saturday.Credit: Bradley Kanaris
"I don't think He Or She can beat Bart," Sigley said before he searches for a maiden group 1 win in the $1 million race at Ascot on Saturday.
"Over 1800 [metres] he might be able to get closer to him, but Magic Artist is going up to 59 [kilograms]. They obviously rate him very highly, but I'm just going off his Melbourne run and there is no reason why Bart can't be competitive."
Facing a summer carnival clean sweep from interstate raiders if either Magic Artist, a $3.90 Kingstown Town Classic favourite with Ladbrokes, or David Hayes and Tom Dabernig's Extra Zero can win the final group 1 of the calendar year, there is more than a bit of pride at stake for the West Australian locals.
Bob Peters' quartet, headed by unbeaten filly Perfect Reflection, will shoulder most of the home-town burden, but Black Heart Bart is more than a capable ally for Sigley.
Named in part owing to his group of knockabout owners who are devotees of the Black Bart fishing lures, the horse has threatened to reel in a historic major for Sigley with luckless runs in the Goodwood Stakes and last start in Good Project's Railway Stakes.
"I think the [eastern state horses] were lucky on [Railway Stakes] day," Sigley said. "That's racing ... you get biases here and there and you've got to put up with that.
"I was rapt with the run. All the fast lanes were on the inside and it didn't give horses a chance coming from behind on the day. We were more than happy with that. The two horses that stood out with big runs would have been [Black Heart Bart] and Watermans Bay.
"It's like anything and you'd love the money to stay here in WA. I haven't won a group 1 race yet and it would be nice to win one. I think Black Heart Bart deserves to win one and hopefully we can get that on Saturday."
Black Heart Bart hasn't raced over the 1800-metre trip since being set for the West Australian Derby as a three-year-old, but it hasn't deterred the confidence of Sigley and jockey Glenn Smith.
"He's run close-up over 1800m before when he was three and he was a mentally immature horse then," Sigley said. "He puts in all the time and quite a few experts think it will be too far Bart, but I don't think so. I think he's been looking [for the trip] and the way he's come up this prep we're happy."