Australia: Rule of Law looks to repeat at Warwick Farm
Rule of Law seemed to appreciate a gap of more than nine months between races when he recorded an expected win in a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs at Warwick Farm Racecourse in Sydney, Australia earlier this month.
Sent off as the 4-5 favorite on Dec. 1, Rule of Law was always near the front and won by slightly more than 1 1/4 lengths for his third victory in his seventh start.
Rule of Law will start against a slightly tougher field of handicap runners at Warwick Farm in another race at 5 1/2 furlongs on Wednesday. This time, Rule of Law is likely to be around 2-1, judging from early betting on Monday.
:: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for Australian racing
Rule of Law’s form tailed off in races at Sydney-area tracks last February, with a ninth in the restricted $730,000 Inglis Sprint at Royal Randwick Racecourse, and a seventh in a handicap at Canterbury Park nearly two weeks later.
The recent comeback win was preceded by two sharp performances in training races from the gate, or barrier trials, in November.
Trained by Bjorn Baker, Rule of Law is part of a field of nine in the fourth race on a seven-race program at Warwick Farm that begins at 10:20 p.m. Eastern or 7:20 p.m. Pacific on Tuesday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.
Rule of Law, who will be ridden by Jason Collett, tends to run near the front and should have a target from runners such as Secretively and Warrior Hero.
Secretively won a five-furlong handicap at Kembla Grange Racecourse on Dec. 11, ending a two-month layoff. Secretively led throughout and pulled clear to prevail by 4 1/2 lengths. It was his second win in his 14th start.
Warrior Hero is winless in his last five starts, but has been second or third in his last four appearances. Those races were good enough to suggest Warrior Hero could end the losing streak at Warwick Farm or easily be part of an exacta or trifecta.
Warrior Hero was beaten slightly more than three-quarters of a length in a six-furlong handicap at Rosehill Gardens on Dec. 4, stalking the pace throughout from a rail post. Warrior Hero starts from post 5 at Warwick Farm, which appears to be a better draw for his style.