HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Lincoln’s Law, whose career got off to a belated but promising start here earlier this winter, will try to take another step forward when facing five rivals – including the more accomplished Cannoneer – going one mile in Friday’s $86,000 main event at Gulfstream Park. Lincoln’s Law did not launch his career until late February. He couldn’t have been more impressive at first asking, overcoming a bit of a slow start to register a 2 1/2-length maiden special weight victory. The final time of 1:10.44 for six furlongs earned the 3-year-old homebred son of Liam’s Map an 83 Beyer Speed Figure. Lincoln’s Law, who was cross-entered on Thursday at Oaklawn Park by trainer Phil Bauer as an insurance policy in case the local race failed to fill, will break from the extreme outside with Luis Saez again taking the call. “He kicked the wall in his stall and cracked a wing bone in his foot down here last year that derailed much of his 2-year-old season,” Bauer explained. “We did have him close to a race in Kentucky during the fall, but I just didn’t think he was advanced enough mentally to run him at the time.” :: Play Gulfstream Park with confidence! DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports are available now.  Bauer said he felt Lincoln’s Law was plenty fit, but the trainer was still worried about the mental aspect when he launched his career here last month. “He actually surprised me how well he ran the first time,” Bauer admitted. “You could still tell he was mildly green, but Luis did a great job keeping him honest when the other horse engaged him at the top of the stretch.” Bauer said he feels stretching to a mile and trying winners for the first time should give him a good idea where he stands with Lincoln’s Law heading into the spring. “I don’t think a mile should be an issue. His dam had great stamina, and this should be a good stepping-stone for him,” Bauer added. “Obviously, he’s going to have to take a step forward, and Brad [Cox]’s horse [Cannoneer] should give us a good gauge where we’re at with him at the moment.” Cannoneer was backed to 2-5 for his debut last spring at Churchill, only to finish a disappointing and tiring third after setting the early pace. He was sidelined six months before returning with a bang in late November, stretching to seven furlongs and winning by 7 1/4 lengths while posting a 90 Beyer Figure in his juvenile finale. Cannoneer was sent postward as the 3-2 favorite off his maiden win despite stretching around two turns for the first time in the Grade 3 Holy Bull in his local debut Jan. 24. After setting a contested pace while racing in the deeper footing near the rail much of the way, he finished a tiring fourth, beaten 9 3/4 lengths by Nearly. :: Get Gulfstream Park Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the Clocker Team. Available every race day.  The pace should be an honest one in race 7, with Lincoln’s Law and Cannoneer both figuring to be forwardly placed from the outset. They may be joined early by Hawk, who finished second behind the Florida Derby-bound Timeless Victory after setting the early fractions while trying to get 1 1/8 miles on March 1. No Bees, a mid-level starter-allowance winner over a muddy strip at Aqueduct in his 3-year-old debut, could prove the major beneficiary of a hot pace. The Jorge Delgado-trained pair of the multiple stakes-placed Thunder Chuck and recent maiden-claiming winner Never Count Me Out complete the lineup. Lincoln’s Law is one of two winners Bauer has sent out at the Championship meet from just six starters. The other is Tam Tam, who is among 10 3-year-old fillies entered for Saturday’s Sanibel Island Stakes at 7 1/2 furlongs on turf. The well-bred Tam Tam, who brought $975,000 as a yearling in 2024, made her grass and local debut a winning one when withstanding a long stretch drive to defeat maiden special weight rivals going a mile here Feb. 7. “We were always high on Tam Tam, although I think people tend to hold horses to unfair expectations based on purchase price,” Bauer said. “That said, we were getting a little frustrated with her and were glad to see her put things together the other day when we finally got her on the grass. This looks like a good spot for her to pick up a little black type and for us to see how good she really is.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.