Within The Law continued her meteoric rise with a tenacious victory in the $500,000 Inglis Nursery (1000m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday, capping off a stellar week for trainer Bjorn Baker and Darby Racing.
The win follows her Inglis Banner triumph at Flemington last month and adds to Baker’s recent success with O’Ole, who secured the $200,000 Magic Millions Wyong Classic just days earlier.
Purchased for a modest $30,000, Within The Law has already amassed $880,000 in earnings from just two starts, cementing her status as one of the most exciting two-year-olds in the country.
At $3.50 odds with BlondeBet, she burst between runners under Jason Collett to edge out stablemate Cobra Club ($21) by a neck, with Sequista ($9) finishing strongly for third, a further half-length back.
“That was a really tough win today because she is not very big, but she showed a lot of heart,” said Luke Hilton, Bjorn Baker’s racing manager.
“She has done nothing but improve since she came home. She is such an honest filly, handles everything, and is so professional.”
Collett, riding Within The Law for the first time, was impressed by her determination.
“Once I got the split, she really attacked the line,” he said.
Inglis Nursery race replay – Within The Law
Darby Racing’s Scott Darby celebrated a remarkable quinella, noting that both Within The Law and Cobra Club were among the cheapest horses in the race.
“Bjorn has done a great job with the filly. She won her first start in Melbourne, and then he set her for this race,” Darby said.
“The plan is for her to go to the $2 million Inglis Millennium in February and then one lead-up run into the Golden Slipper.”
Within The Law’s performances have seen her firm into the $26 for the $5 million Golden Slipper at Rosehill Gardens in March with the top horse racing bookmakers.
Winning the Inglis Millennium could also make her eligible for a $3 million bonus if she can take out the Group 1 Inglis Sires in April.
“She’s not one who stands out at home, but she has taken everything we’ve thrown at her,” Hilton added.
“The world is her oyster at the moment.”
The Inglis Nursery continues to bolster its reputation as a launchpad for exceptional juveniles, with past winners including Extreme Choice and She Will Reign, both of whom went on to win Group 1 features.
Within The Law’s triumph also highlights the ongoing success of Darby Racing, which has enjoyed a remarkable run with horses like Overpass, the $75,000 yearling purchase now boasting over $9.7 million in prizemoney.
Darby reflected on the team’s achievements with excitement for the future: “We’ll do it all over again and get them ready for the next big targets.”
Amid the celebrations, the Randwick meeting also paused to honor trainer Sam Kavanagh, who passed away early Saturday morning at age 38 after a long battle with cancer.
Jockeys wore black armbands in the second race, and fellow trainer Will Freedman dedicated Zoubaby’s opening race win to Kavanagh, saying, “That was for you, Sam.”
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