Point Of Law handed 2kg Melbourne Cup weight penalty
Racing Victoria handicapper David Hegan said the Geelong Cup victory against older horses warranted a reassessment.
Point Of Law will carry 53kg in the Melbourne Cup after Racing Victoria handicapper David Hegan imposed a 2kg penalty following the horse’s Geelong Cup victory. His original allocation was the 51kg minimum.
The Ciaron Maher-trained horse won over 2400m at Geelong. Hegan said assessing him beforehand had been difficult because his four previous starts had all been against three-year-olds. The win over older runners with established form provided a clearer basis for judging his ability.
Hegan said the adjustment represented 2.5kg on the weight-for-age scale. Before the race, Point Of Law’s underlying assessment was 50.5kg, or 6kg below his benchmark. The revised allocation leaves him 3.5kg below that benchmark.
Point Of Law now has five career starts. Hegan said his assessment had to reflect demonstrated performance rather than potential. His Melbourne Cup weight is now 0.5kg below that of fellow northern hemisphere three-year-old James J Braddock, the Epsom Derby placegetter allocated 53.5kg.
