Orange driving four House runners at Tauherenikau

Junior driver Harrison Orange is hoping to get his harness racing season off to a good start at Tauherenikau races on Thursday (January 2) with four competitive drives for Canterbury based trainer Michael House.

“I’ve never been to Tauherenikau before so I’m looking forward to racing on the grass there and the drives I’ve got today are all pretty decent too,” says Orange, “he House team normally tends to go pretty good when they come up to race.”

In the first of the day, Orange drives Son Of Patrick in the Hilton Delegat Painting & Decorating Handicap Trot.

The Father Patrick gelding’s last two starts have been against tough opposition in Canterbury, most recently finishing fifth at his last start on December 22 at Ashburton. On that occasion Son Of Patrick settled on the fence near the rear of the field, with driver Wilson House taking all the short cuts and getting an easy inside run up the home straight to battle on solidly for fifth with the race won by Sunny Louis. Son Of Patrick starts tomorrow’s race off a 50 metre handicap.

“He went really well last start and he won last time he came North too,” says Orange, “although he starts off 50 metres, there’s only one horse on the front line, with the rest of the field off 30 and 50 metres which means it won’t be as much of a bother to overcome and tack on to the field.”

In the Osborne Group Chartered Accountants Mobile Pace over 2000 metres, Orange partners Megyn Kelly who is a new addition to the House Stable.

The lightly raced mare’s best result to date has been a fourth placing back in March last year but her most recent run on the grass at Oamaru on December 11 had merit when after being slow away from a standing start, she sat at the tail of the field before making up plenty of ground to run on into sixth place.

“Megyn Kelly has probably been racing stronger fields and went well enough last start so hopefully gets some luck,” says Orange.

In races three and four, Orange drives Fabricate and Stickifingers, both of whom start their respective events in good form. Fabricate last raced at Palmerston North for back to back placings on December 10 and 12, when narrowly beaten by 0.3 lengths on day one, and finishing third on day two when run down late after leading up to be beaten just a length by Stealers Wheel.

“I think Fabricate (7) is probably my best chance of the day, but Stickifingers (6) also won the amateur race pretty well the other day,” says Orange.

Stickifingers was a fresh up winner at Addington in the amateur driver’s event on December 17 at her first appearance since joining the House stable. Driven by Michael House, the lightly-raced Vincent mare took the lead from her starting draw of five and in a well rated drive was able to dictate the pace and hold off the late challenge by Katherine to win by 0.75 lengths.

Racing at Tauherenikau gets underway at 11.30am with grass track racing continuing in the North on Monday January 6 with the Kapiti Coast meeting at Otaki.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Brigette Solomon, for Harness Racing New Zealand