Choice of race key to success

Don Domingo was a dominant winner of the Oamaru Cup on Saturday for driver Blair Orange, who had...
Don Domingo was a dominant winner of the Oamaru Cup on Saturday for driver Blair Orange, who had an eventful weekend in the sulky. Photo: Jonny Turner
Leading reinsman Blair Orange showed he really can do anything when he drove Don Domingo to his Oamaru Cup win on Saturday.

The premiership’s leading reinsman gave the Ken and Tony Barron-trained pacer a perfect run in the race.

That came after Orange delivered a different kind of drive.

It will not surprise any racing fans that the skilled and hardworking driver can turn his hand to anything.

But few may realise that his driving skills extend to driving floats filled with horses to the races.

Orange’s trek down State Highway 1 with Dom Domingo took the horse to his happy place.

Away from the fast times and ultra-competitive middle-grade fields in Canterbury, the horse was able to assert his class in Saturday’s country cup southern grade.Though Don Domingo has ran third in his last starts in that grade, he has not quite raced up to expectations.

"He has been going good, but not as good as he could have," Orange said.

"He has just been slackening in his races, we knew, but today he raced as good as he can."

Placing Don Domingo in races like yesterday’s will be key for the horse.

"He has gone to that grade where you don’t dominate, but he is still going good.

"He is going to be a handy horse without winning every week and he is better placed in these country cup-type races."

Orange also scored wins with Tijuana Taxi Direct Control at Oamaru on Saturday.

The weekend would prove to be a highly eventful one for Orange.

On Friday night, he drove his 1500th winner at Addington.

Yesterday at Winton, things took a downward turn.

Orange was stood down after he was sent crashing to the track when driving Stormntaza. Brad Williamson is another horseman continuing to show  that his skills are not just in the sulky.

At Oamaru on Saturday, the trainer scored success with Two Ply just one week after the horse joined his stable.

Leading junior driver Matt Anderson unleashed the pacer at the top of the straight to win.

Williamson bought the horse out of Craig Laurenson’s stable after he ran second at Gore last weekend.

The victory notched Williamson’s fourth win in his rookie season as a trainer.

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