The Victorians might just hold the aces in the penultimate race at Rosehill with Cranbourne-based trainer Aaron Laing plotting to upstage fellow travellers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, who will be represented by the favourite.
Laing has brought Sir Rockford to Sydney for the TAB Handicap (1800m) on Saturday, the gelding on the third line of betting at $6.50 behind Busuttin and Young’s Brayden Star ($4 fav) and local Touristic ($4.80) for Peter and Paul Snowden.
Sir Rockford has already delivered Laing one milestone, becoming his first metropolitan winner when scoring at Sandown last start, and he will give the young horseman another career highlight if he can land the money at Rosehill.
“This would be my first Saturday winner if we get up,” Laing said.
“I reckon he will measure up. I think Busuttin’s horse is the hardest to beat obviously, but 60-1/2 kilos, barrier 13, if the jockeys are on the ball they’ll make it work hard.
“From our barrier (five) we’ll be able to sit a lot closer than we usually do, which I think will make him extremely dangerous.”
The son of Melbourne trainer Robbie Laing, Aaron Laing isn’t a newcomer to Sydney.
He brought Ninyo north for the 2022 Adrian Knox Stakes, while two-year-old Imminance was far from disgraced when midfield to Learning To Fly in this year’s Inglis Millennium.
Laing felt Saturday’s race looked a perfect fit for Sir Rockford at this stage of his preparation and a victory would get the horse, who he politely described as a “character”, some much needed brownie points.
“He can be hard work and he is quirky as, but he’s a cool dude and we like him,” Laing said.
“Luckily he’s got some talent, it makes it a lot easier to put up with him.”
Regan Bayliss takes the ride on Sir Rockford, who has won three of his four starts since breaking his maiden at Werribee in April.
