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By Ray Hickson

When there’s a picket fence against a progressive horse’s name you never know how long it will extend and that’s where Bjorn Baker is at with Rule Of Law as he faces his biggest test at Rosehill on Saturday.

The gelding is unbeaten in five starts since joining the Baker yard and for the most part they’ve been easy watches for his connections.

He steps into stakes company for the first time in the Group 3 $160,000 City Tattersalls Group Maurice McCarten Stakes (1100m) and with some expectation, as $2.60 favourite with TAB on Thursday, to make it six from six under Baker.

“I still think he has more to come, no doubt about that,’’ Baker said.

“He probably looks better now than at any stage of the preparation. It’s hard to be confident stepping up in grade again but he is doing a good job.

“He gets into the race really well with the conditions, I’m thrilled how it has worked out.”

In each of his five wins, Rule Of Law has carried 57kg or more (twice he’s lumped 60kg) so it’s no surprise Baker says he’s well placed with just 55kg.

The winning run started at Warwick Farm back on December 1 in a Benchmark 64, he then won two Benchmark 72s, ran down The Bopper to win a Benchmark 88 then three weeks ago cruised around the Rosehill 1100m winning a Benchmark 94 on a soft 6.

Rule Of Law wins at Rosehill on February 19

Baker doesn’t expect to change a whole lot heading into the Maurice McCarten and while heavy ground won’t faze him he says an improving track is a plus.

“He’s been well placed on paper but everything has worked out very well,’’ he said.

“The timing of the races and the progression and even the race on Saturday kicks that goal a little bit too.

“He’s meeting some good horses but he’s got racing fitness on his side and he’s flexible in terms of what tracks he can handle.

“He’s been an absolute beauty to train, he’s got a great attitude and I must say it’s been great fun no doubt about that.”

Another win could tempt Baker to have a dip in the deep end with Rule Of Law in Saturday week’s Group 1 Galaxy (1100m), also at Rosehill, but you get the sense it would need to be a dominant win for him to roll that dice.

“We would have to have a bit of a think about where we go and what we do,’’ he said.

Honest front-runner Canasta could butter up in the Cerrone Handicap (1900m) on Saturday if Baker decides to drop him in class in preference to Monday’s Canberra Cup.

The gelding has been placed in five of his nine runs in this preparation and the Warwick Farm trainer is very keen to find the right race to post a breakthrough win.

“He’s in good order. He has a good gate from the 1900m,’’ he said.

“He’d need the track to dry out a bit and be a bit leaderish. He’s running really well, he deserves one, but it’s a competitive race on paper.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Rosehill meeting