By Michael Guerin
Our best driver is lamenting not being able to be in two places at once today.
Blair Orange has had to forgo his drives at Alexandra Park tonight after that meeting was postponed on Thursday because of the Auckland weather, with Orange having flown to Auckland by the time the announcement was made.
He will instead drive at the Addington day meeting today.
“There isn’t much you can do about Mother Nature so I went up to Auckland and came back and will drive at Addington on Saturday instead,” says Orange.
That means missing the drive of Without You in what is now a five-filly field for the Oaks Prelude at The Park but he has a full book at Addington for the Racing Rewards meeting with its boosted stakes for the lower grade horses.
“They are great stakes for some of those lower grade horses but also hard races to win because of the big fields,” says Orange.
While those big fields were provide punters with plenty of value to chase it is the night’s smallest field that provides Orange with one of his most interesting drives.
“I drove Blacklaz to win last start and he was really good,” says Orange.
“And I think that win has improved him because he has jumped out of the ground since.
“It will be a good race, even though it is a small field, because I have been really impressed by what I have seen from Jumal at the trials and when it won at Addington on debut so that should be a good clash.”
Also in a smaller field but with genuine class is Orange’s drive in today’s handicap pace feature, Harrison John (R8, No.6).
Last December’s NZ Derby placegetter returned with a 1:52.8 mile win last start but faces his first standing start challenge against the likes of proven Cups pacers Beach Ball and Dalton Shard.
“I think he will handle the stand okay because he is a nice pacer and has a touch of class.
“He has to be hard to beat but these can be tricky races as they are all nice horses.”
Orange has a string of handy drives in the $30,000 Racing Rewards races, including three for trainer Michael House, but opts for Paris Prince (R11. No.16) as one of his better hopes.
“He is one of my best chances but it can be difficult from a handicap in a field that big so we have to hope to get the right cart into the race but he is racing really well.”
One of the deeper fields of the day is the last in which Orange partners Five Crowns against Treacherous Baby and Hadron Collider.
Five Crowns has drawn inside the other pair but Orange says he doesn’t have to head forward in a quest to lead as the three-year-old can be just as potent driven with a sit.
“He is fast off a helmet but it is a good race,” he told HRNZ.
