Winx within reach for Lucky Vega filly

Trainer Bjorn Baker is confident former outstanding two-year-old Within The Law (Lucky Vega) can go close to breaking a lengthy winning drought on a quick back-up into Saturday’s Winx Guineas (Gr 3, 1600m) at the Sunshine Coast.

Another shrewd yearling purchase by Baker’s highly successful associate Darby Racing – bought from Yulong for $30,000 at Inglis Classic – Within The Law began like a bomb in winning three of her first four starts, all at stakes level and interrupted only by a 0.44 length second in Randwick’s rich Inglis Millennium (RL, 1100m).

But she followed that sequence by losing her rider as a $20 shot in the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) and hasn’t won in her 11 starts since then.

The filly hasn’t lost form, mind you, notching six placings in good company.

She ended her two-year-old season with a 0.13 length second in the Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), returned to Randwick in the spring to beat all bar the outstanding Apocalyptic (Extreme Choice) in the Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), and two starts ago was second to runaway winner Skyhook (Written Tycoon) in Eagle Farm’s Gunsynd Classic (Gr 3, 1600m).

Last Saturday, against older mares in the Tatt’s Tiara (Gr 1, 1400m), Within The Law shaped up to produce her usual finishing burst from the rear but ultimately had to settle for a 3.26 length seventh.

But she goes into the Guineas as a $3 favourite and is hugely advantaged by the set weights conditions in holding by far the highest rating in the race – at 101 compared to a next-best of 87.5 for New Zealand raider and $7.50 shot Platinum Pantheon (Hanseatic).

“She hasn’t won for a while but she’s been in good races, and she’s had excuses at times,” Baker told ANZ News. “But this is going to be the weakest race she’s been in for a long time.

“There’s a couple of question marks in terms of the gate, the track rating and the quick back-up, but I’m happy with her.

“But after the Tatt’s Tiara, she’s back to own age group, and up to a mile suits at this stage, and she appears sound and well.

“On her day, she’s very good, and if she runs up to what she’s capable of, I think she’ll be very competitive.”

Baker wasn’t disappointed with his filly’s run in the Tatt’s Tiara, when she dropped back from barrier nine. He’s also buoyed by the memory of her only prior attempt at two starts on successive weekends – her narrow Champagne Stakes second a week after running third in Randwick’s Percy Sykes Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m).

“You never really know with a quick back-up, but she’s got a pretty good temperament so I expect her to handle it well,” the Warwick Farm conditioner said. “And from the Sykes to the Champagne, she handled that OK.

“The Tatt’s Tiara didn’t really work out for her. The one thing she lacks is a bit of tactical speed. The way that race worked out didn’t suit her. They went very slow and she couldn’t make up the ground.

“But with the bigger field and over the mile on a bigger track, that will probably suit her. She’ll probably be in the back half. Hopefully the pace is good, and if that’s the case it should work out to being a good spot.”

The Sunshine Coast track was rated a heavy 8 on Thursday, with a 60 per cent chance of rain on Friday but fine and sunny conditions tipped for Saturday. Within The Law has run two seconds from two starts on heavy going.

“She’s well in herself and has come out of last week’s run well,” Baker said. “But I’d love to see the track just improve a little bit.”

Having her last run of her preparation, Within The Law has gate 11 for Dylan Gibbons, who replaces the unavailable Tommy Berry.

Success would add another stakes winner for the season for Yulong’s young stallion Lucky Vega (Lope de Vega), who’s on the roster at their newly-acquired Segenhoe Stud property in the Hunter Valley this spring, at $27,500.

Within The Law was the stallion’s sole black type victor last term, helping him finish fifth on the Australian first season sires’ table.

The seven-year-old is currently seventh on the second season sires’ chart, with his standout performer being Team Archibald’s Percy Sykes (Gr 2 1200m) winner Cherry Bomshell who’s scored in three of her four two-year-old starts.

Lucky Vega, who shuttles to the Irish National Stud, has five stakes winners worldwide from 152 runners.

Rosemont Stud stallion Hanseatic (Street Boss) will have his second black type victor – from 107 runners – if the Lisa Latta-trained Platinum Pantheon can prevail in the Guineas.

A $60,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast purchase from Rosemont by the trainer, the gelding won four times over 1200m from his first 11 starts in New Zealand, by between 1.1 and 5.4 lengths.

He followed the latest win in April with a graduation to black type grade for a second in Te Rapa’s Cambridge Breeders Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m), prompting Latta to target the Queensland winter carnival.

After sixths in the Gold Coast Guineas (Gr 3, 1200m) and Eagle Farm’s Fred Best Classic (Gr 3, 1400m), Platinum Pantheon was a 0.45 length second in the Queensland Day Stakes (Listed, 1200m), before a desperately close 0.02 length second in the prestigious TL Cooney (1350m) on Ipswich Cup day.

He rises beyond 1400m for the first time, and drew a visitor’s gate in 16 of 16, but Latta is hopeful of a forward showing.

“I’m really happy with him. He’s trained on well since Ipswich. It’ll be interesting stepping up to the mile but Mark Du Plessis,who’s been riding him, thinks he’ll see it out,” Latta told ANZ.

“Ipswich was a really good run. We rode him handier than usual from a good draw, and he just got pipped.

“He’s drawn the outside this week, so he’s going to have to be ridden more patiently. That tends to be his better way of racing anyway.

“His best runs have been over 1200 metres, there’s no two ways about that, so it’ll be interesting. But he relaxes well in his races, and he doesn’t mind the fire out of the ground, so we’re hopeful, although the barrier doesn’t help.”

With Du Plessis back in his native South Africa to ride in Saturday’s Durban July, Ben Thompson goes aboard Platinum Pantheon in the Guineas.

Meanwhile, Australian Bloodstock’s Jamie Lovett hopes the Kris Lees-trained Rustemo (Russian Revolution) could be a knock-out chance, at around $18.

Bought for just $25,000 in Book 1 at Magic Millions Gold Coast from Amarina Farm’s draft, Rustemo had a frustrating first three campaigns which included a run of five straight seconds on NSW provincial and country tracks.

But he’s turned things around this campaign by winning all three starts, at Scone, Hawkesbury and the Sunshine Coast, the latest a 1400m benchmark 65.

“He had a few excuses last prep, but he’s certainly turned the corner this time in and he’s attacking the line, which is something he didn’t do first prep,” Lovett told ANZ.

“It’s a bit of a throw at the stumps, it’s a big step up in grade, but he’s in winning form and he keeps improving. Whenever a horse keeps improving, who knows what can happen?”