Ottley has been on Jumal in all 11 career starts for nine wins and two placings, including winning both the 2 and 3-Year-Old Harness Millions and the Group 1 Diamond Creek Farm Stakes this time last year.
But with two defeats in his last five starts, including last start when he sat parked from the bell against older pacers at Addington, the connections of Jumal have opted to make the change to the country’s leading reinsman.
“I am obviously happy to get on a really good horse but I feel for Sam,” Orange said.
“But that is part of being a freelance driver and it happens to all of us.
“It has happened to me this week. I have lost the drive of We Walk By Faith, who has been my open-class drive all season.”
Matthew White, who drove We Walk By Faith to win the Taylor Mile last season, will reunite with him in this Friday’s Roy Purdon Memorial, leaving Orange without a drive in that Group 1.
“Nothing surer I will lose drives in the future I want to keep and you just get on with it,” Orange said.
“It is part of racing.”
Orange appears to have been handed the reins at the perfect time with Jumal drawn barrier 1 for the Derby, one of four Group 1s at Alexandra Park this Friday.
That has led to the TAB opening Jumal at a short $1.16 to win the Derby as many will be predicting an all-the-way win, especially as no real challenger has emerged in the male 3-year-old pacing ranks.
Trainer Steven Reid took Jumal to Rangiora for a private workout last Friday with Orange in the sulky and the pair were happy with his performance so he will run through many punters’ multis on Friday.
While his We Walk By Faith sacking means Orange, who is on track to win his ninth national driver’s premiership, won’t be driving in Friday’s open-class pace, he is on the favourite in two other Group 1s on Friday, although one of those could change.
He partners Secret Wish, favourite for the $100,000 Pascoes Northern Oaks. She has drawn the second line and opened the $2.80 favourite but it wouldn’t be a surprise if she is replaced at the head of the market by Cath before Friday.
“My filly is very fast and the 2700m will help her trying to overcome the second line draw but I think Cath will be very hard to beat,” Orange said.
Orange also partners Kyvalley Ray, the $1.65 favourite for the $120,000 IRT Sires’ Stakes Trot Championship after his Harness Millions win last Friday.
He was clearly too good for favourite Our Col last Friday in what was the latter’s first defeat and Kyvalley Ray is drawn to lead again from barrier 2, with Our Col at barrier 1.
The latter looks an outstanding talent but will need to find her best form to run down Kyvalley Ray on Friday, even if she can hold him back at the start, which is no guarantee with the talented Petite Armour drawn barrier 3.
“He [Kyvalley Ray] isn’t the finished product yet and still has some strengthening up in his gait to come but he is pretty good,” Orange said.
Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.
