Classy Laird Of Breedon can anchor Pick 6 at the Vaal

Laird Of Breedon arrives at the Vaal Classic course on Tuesday fresh off a worthy fifth place in the Grade 1 Premiers Champion Stakes at Greyville on the last day of July. That makes him the classiest horse in Race 7, a Graduation Plate over 1450m, and it would be a bit of a surprise if he didn’t win it.

Laird Of Breedon is much improved since trainer Corne Spies fitted him with blinkers three runs back – a move that got him out of the maidens. After that he ran second behind rising star Rain In Holland and made that excursion to Durban.

Leading jockey Warren Kennedy gets into the irons vacated by regular pilot Sherman Brown who can’t make the trifling 54.5kg allotted. This is the least weight Laird Of Breedon has carried in his nine races to date, so he should feel like he’s spring-heeled.

The opposition is not too shabby, with a couple of lightly raced winners in Whafeef and Slings And Arrows. The known unknown is Mike de Kock-trained Al Muthana, who hasn’t raced in 215 days and hasn’t won in 460 days.

This Australian import, bred by Shadwell and owned by the estate of the late Sheikh Hamdan, must be highly rated by the connections for them to have kept him hanging around recovering from health setbacks.

Nonetheless, Laird Of Breedon appears a solid betting proposition and a Pick 6 banker prospect.

SELECTIONS

Race 1:

4 Insatiable, 6 Lucy English, 3 Ajraas, 7 Pinky Levine

Race 2:

4 Soweto Rose, 9 Quick Run, 1 King’s Spear, 6 Volluto

Race 3:

7 Cap Estel, 4 Zaviah, 1 Joe Harman, 2 Mister Blue Sky

Race 4:

1 Global Louise, 3 Monashada, 2 Covermeinsunshine, 7 Eshraaq

Race 5:

7 Sabre Rattler, 1 Indian War Dance, 2 Leshawes, 6 Imperious Light

Race 6:

3 Run As One, 7 Sophia’s First, 11 Irish Rain, 4 Elusive Swann

Race 7:

4 Laird Of Breedon, 6 Slings And Arrows, 5 Whafeef, 3 Al Muthana

Race 8:

11 Silvery Blue, 6 Sergei, 1 Bit Of Fun, 5 Timeforthat

Pick 6:

1,4,7 x 1,2,3 x 1,2,5,6,7 x 1,3,4,7,11 x 4 x 1,4,5,6,10,11 (R1350)

PA:

4,9 x 7 x 1,3 x 1,7 x 3 x 4 x 1,6,11 (R24)