Laing eyes Valley double with siblings

Trainer Robbie Laing admits his season could have been better but for a couple of second placings in feature races.

Earlier this year Double Bluff ran second in the Adelaide Cup and recently Missrock was runner-up to Vega Magic in the Group One Goodwood at Morphettville.

“You win those two races and you’ve had a good season,” Laing said.

The stable will have four runners at Moonee Valley on Saturday and is looking to siblings, Jaws Of Steel and Wired, to come up with welcome city double.

The two are by Sharkbite out of It’s Sydney with three-year-old Jaws Of Steel a year older than his sister.

A last-start winner at Sandown on May 10, Jaws Of Steel was in the wars last year.

He showed potential winning the Mornington Sires’ at his second race start, prompting a trip to Sydney for the Champagne Stakes.

He later went to Brisbane to contest the J J Atkins Stakes in which he suffered an eye injury.

He recovered from that but after one spring run Jaws Of Steel was struck down by a mystery illness.

“He only had the one run and couldn’t eat for a week at my place so we sent him down to Pinecliff and he did poorly there for another two or three weeks,” Laing said.

“We couldn’t find what was wrong with him but we gave him a good break and he’s come back good.”

Jaws Of Steel takes on his own age group over 1600m on Saturday and will be ridden by Brad Rawiller who also has the ride on Wired.

The two-year-old runs in fillies grade over 1200m and is coming off a last-start narrow second to the Darren Weir-trained Prevailing Winds at Wodonga on May 20.

“The other day she disputed the lead for the entire trip,” Laing said.

“It was a gutsy effort to be in a tooth and nail finish with that colt of Weiry’s.

“She doesn’t have to be ridden that close to the lead and if she gets back four or five lengths off the lead I think she’ll be hard to hold out.”

Laing will also be represented by Little Indian in a benchmark 78 race over 1000m and Cinnamon Carter in a handicap over 2040m.