Orange on target to get record

The equation is getting pretty simple for Blair Orange.

With his first national drivers’ premiership already secured, Orange needs nine wins in eight meetings to break Dexter Dunn’s New Zealand record 229 victories in a season.

A win a meeting and Orange shares the record, one better than that and the record is his.

“I suppose it sounds simple but obviously fields are getting smaller and it is just a matter of getting on the right horses,” says Orange.

“I’ll just take it one meeting at a time and if I can have a meeting where I win two or three that will take some pressure off.”

That could come at Forbury Park tonight, where Orange has only six drives because two of the races are for junior drivers in the NZ champs. But he has several winning hopes.

“A lot of these horses are the same ones racing each other every week and I have a few who can definitely win,” says Orange.

He rates Jamies Bad Boy in race seven his best hope with a good draw and some consistent recent form.

“And the way Dusky Eyre [race three] won last week he has to be a good chance, too.”

Madaboy (R1) and Armstrong (R5) are also rated winning hopes while Evangeline Franco at least has some winning form going into the last race.

A victory or two tonight could take Orange a fair way towards the record this weekend as he races at Addington tomorrow and Ashburton on Sunday.