Rule The World will be on a mission to get his career back on track when he lines up for just his third start in 12 months at the Kembla Grange stand-alone meeting.
The Gooree Stud product showed enormous promise to win his first three outings and was immediately stepped up to stakes grade where he finished a competitive fifth in the 2019 Spring Stakes at Newcastle.
There were high expectations for him in the autumn but Rule The World looked lacklustre, finishing down the track in both his runs.
When trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott could find nothing amiss, they decided to spell him and give him time to mature
“He didn’t quite come up. There were no issues that we could put our finger on,” Bott said.
“Obviously he wasn’t performing at his best, especially from the early promise he showed at his first couple of runs.
“We gave him a good break and just backed off him and have given him the time he may have needed.
“Judging by his trials, he looks to have come back well and that seems to have been a good decision.”
Rule The World will resume in the PFD Food Services Handicap (1400m) at Kembla on Saturday and has been given two testing trials in preparation for his return.
While he is lacking in match practice, Bott has no doubt he is forward enough to enhance his strong first up record.
“He is effective first up and he’s done plenty of work,” Bott said.
“He is there to be very competitive.”
Tim Clark has the ride and will also link up with Tulloch Lodge in the feature race, the $1 million The Gong, when he partners equal favourite Dawn Passage.
