Racing: Orange will fight for lead

Have Faith In Me faces a worthy opponent in Mighty Flying Major in the Sales Series Pace at Alexandra Park today. Photo / Getty Images

Driver of Mighty Flying Major keen to control his opponents in Sales Series Pace today.

If Mighty Flying Major is beaten in today's $200,000 Sales Series Pace at Alexandra Park, his opponents are going to have to do it the hard way.

Driver Blair Orange has declared he will be using the ace draw to try for an all-the-way win rather than getting too tactical in the richest race on a huge daytime programme.

Mighty Flying Major holds the key, having the inside draw and the natural early speed to use it but Orange says that is only half the battle.

"I know he is good enough to lead and win which is why I won't be handing up," he says. "I have raced these horses already this carnival and gone as good as horses like Have Faith In Me and Hug The Wind.

"So why would I hand up to them and give them the advantage? It is not like they are Auckland Reactor-type 3-year-olds and you are happy to run second to them.

"If we stay in front and are good enough, then we get our chance. If you hand up, you start to need luck."

Those words might cool the heels of punters looking to dive into the favoured Purdon-Rasmussen pair of Have Faith In Me and Hug The Wind, who would often be favoured to intimidate rivals into taking a trail.

That sounds unlikely today, though, meaning luck could come into play for them, even though they were good enough to come from near-last to quinella the Sires' Stakes at Addington last month.

Betting against the Purdon-Rasmussen juggernaut in any major race is uncomfortable viewing but Mighty Flying Major has looked not far behind them on raw ability and with Alexandra Park racing red hot, the leaders make life very difficult for those covering extra ground.

"The way this track is, my fella can go 2:38 [for 2200m] and if he goes well here he might be off to the Victoria Derby so we aren't gonna go home wondering what if?" Orange, who has rarely been in better driving form, realises that by trying for an all-the-way win he could potentially give another key rival, Express Stride, the trail and the last shot at him up the passing lane but he says he can't worry about that.

"You can't try and drive every horse in the race, just your one.

"And if we are in front then he still has to try and run past us, too."

While the pressure of big money racing can see tactics change, if Mighty Flying Major leads and Express Stride trails the latter becomes the horse to beat.

He brilliantly won his first two races back this season and then sat parked before finishing a huge second, beating home Mighty Flying Major, Hug The Wind and Have Faith In Me last start.

Express Stride has matured into a serious, strong pacer and if the speed is on today he will hit the line hard.