Jumal just one of many chances for Blair Orange at Addington tonight

By Michael Guerin

It is not often the winner of a race needs an excuse but then again not many horses are as talented as Jumal. 

The three-year-old pacing colt is the red hot favourite ($1.18) to win tonight’s $200,000 Garrards’ Sires’ Stakes Final at Addington and end this campaign the winner of 12 of his 14 career starts.

But while Jumal won his lead-up semi final last Friday he was, by his usual standards, hardly dazzling as he took all of the Addington straight to wear down Forever Miki after sitting on his back in the one-one.

Winning a $50,000 race is no small deal but it looked like Jumal on unleaded, not the speed freak we have seen in some similar contests this autumn.

Champion driver Blair Orange knows why.

“I drove him with a sit from his draw and he pulled way too hard,” explains Orange.

“Usually when a horse pulls that hard they have nothing left to give you at the finish so the fact he was still able to beat them in a 26.9 second last 400m means it was a better win than it looked.”

Orange has no such concerns from barrier 3 in tonight’s 1980m final and expects to head straight for the front and stay there.

“There are some really nice horses in here and Forever Miki went great last Friday for second but I don’t think they will beat us if he leads, which is where I expect him to be.”

Orange has good reason to be confident with two other youngsters he drives tonight in La Venture (R5, No.4) in the $50,000 Syncroflex Express Trotting Stakes and Chiggsy (R6, No.5) in the $100,000 Avon City Ford Welcome Stakes.

“La Venture was really good on debut last week and think she can go close to turning the tables on Master McGoogan,” says Orange.

Chiggsy is one of the big three in the Welcome Stakes, alongside Roger That and Travel Agent, the trio having trifectaed a similar race at Invercargill last start with Roger That winning but Chiggsy a huge second.

“I really like my horse but being drawn outside the other two doesn’t help,” says Orange.

“If Roger That gets an easy lead we might struggle to catch him but I think my horse can win and so too can Travel Agent so that should be a good race.”

Orange says barrier draws or handicap marks might be too tough for a couple of his other big-race drives tonight, Nellie Doyle (R7, No.14) and The Big Lebowski (R9, No.10) to overcome.

“They are big strong fields and will be really hard to come wide in but I thought I had a pretty good chance with Trump Card in Race 4.”