Rule The River On Track For Three-Peat

Rule The River On Track For Three-Peat

Dec 10, 2015

From Racenet

Anthony Cummings’ in-form mare Rule The River continues to tick all the boxes ahead of her latest challenge in Saturday’s McGrath Estate Agents Handicap (1200m) at Randwick.

Rule The River is shooting for three straight wins at Randwick on Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart

Rule The River opened her four-year-old season with a strong win at Canterbury over 1100 metres last month before dispatching 13 rivals in a 1000 metre event at Warwick Farm 2-1/2 weeks later.

The daughter of Commands only has five starts to her name but has three wins and a second to show for it.

Stable foreman Ed Cummings said Rule The River’s preparation has been painless thus far and all indications point to another big performance on Saturday.

"We’ve been pretty lucky, she’s been fairly straight forward this preparation,” Cummings said.

"She’s enjoying her racing and never really takes any detriment out of her runs and has continued to draw well.”

Drawing barrier one last Saturday at Randwick would have been deemed disadvantageous as most of the best performed horses were finishing down the outside lanes, but Cummings is philosophical about an inside gate this Saturday.

"Randwick is the sort of track that can change from week to week,” he said.

"It’s probably a good thing that the rail was off last week because it gives it a greater chance of being the place to be this week.”

Should Rule The River race up to expectations, the Listed Takeover Target Stakes (1200m) at Gosford on January 8 looms as an ideal opportunity for the mare to snare valuable black type status.

"She’s a 75-rater at the moment so if she was to win she would go up to around 80 at a guess and then probably earn a trip to Gosford for the Takeover Target Stakes,” Cummings said.

The Cummings stable is likely to be well represented at the Gosford feature meeting with Mary Lou set to have a second crack at the Group III Belle Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) after settling for third last year.