Bargain buy Within The Law has capped a lucrative week for Bjorn Baker’s two-year-olds, taking out the $500,000 Inglis Nursery three days after stablemate O’Ole snared the $200,000 Magic Millions Wyong Classic.
A $30,000 buy, Within The Law has now banked $880,000 from just two starts, adding Saturday’s Randwick feature to her debut victory in the Inglis Banner (1000m) at Flemington in November.
While O’Ole is on the way to Queensland for a shot at next month’s Magic Millions Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast, Within The Law will remain in Sydney where another sales-restricted race, the $2 million Inglis Millennium (1100m) on February 8, awaits.
“It has been a good week and a great job by Bjorn and Darby (Racing) and the team to find these races,” Baker’s racing manager Luke Hilton said.
“We sent her to Melbourne the first time and had to travel and she got away with it down there and did a really good job. She has done nothing but improve since she has come home.
“That was a really tough win today because she is not very big, but she showed a lot of heart.”
Ridden by Jason Collett, Within The Law ($3.50) had to shoulder her way clear in the straight and kicked strongly to deny another Darby Racing galloper, Cobra Club, ($21), by a neck.
Sequista ($9) was doing her best work late, warming up down the outside to grab third, another half-length away.
The Inglis Nursery (1000m) has a handy honour roll that boasts 2016 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Extreme Choice and 2017 Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign and Hilton said Within The Law had shown enough promise to be under consideration as a Golden Slipper prospect.
“You’d think she would have to be off that. We’ll have to have a good think about it,” he said.
“The world is her oyster at the moment. She is still improving all the time and she is such an honest filly. She handles everything and has been so professional.
“She is not one who stands out at home, but she has taken everything we have thrown at her.”
Jockeys competing in the second race at Randwick wore black armbands in memory of trainer Sam Kavanagh, who died early on Saturday morning following a long battle with cancer.
Kavanagh, who was only 38, had a tumultuous career and served a four-year disqualification for cobalt-related offences.
However, he had put those issues behind him and was rebuilding a team at Newcastle, training a winner with his final runner, Sharpen The Knives, at Armidale on Sunday.
His friend and fellow trainer Will Freedman took out the opening race at Randwick with Zoubaby and dedicated her win to Kavanagh, later tweeting on X: “That was for you Sam”.
