KEY POINTS:
Silence really was golden for Blair Orange.
It wasn't until after the biggest win of his career that the Canterbury horseman found out Steve McQueen was a far better chance than he had been led to believe.
Orange drove the perfect race on Saturday to get Steve McQueen home in the $200,000 PGG Wrightsons Sales Series Pace at Addington, using the trail before sling-shotting past leader Roburascal.
The race was a triumph for Orange's boss, Mark Purdon, who also trained third-placed Fiery Falcon to continue his stable's dominance of the feature juvenile pacing races for the boys this season.
But it was also a victory for Purdon's poker face as he had not told Orange the full story of Steve McQueen's dazzling private workout before the race.
Purdon and stable foreman Grant Payne had taken Steve McQueen to Addington for a private workout last Wednesday and he blazed over his last 800m in 56 seconds, boosting the trainer's confidence.
But he decided not to tell Orange - until after the race.
"I suppose he didn't want me to do anything rash and over-drive him," said Orange. "Once again, typical Mark, he was right."
While the win was as lucrative as any in Orange's career - equalling Lennon's victory in the same race four years ago - he admits he wanted to be on stablemate Fiery Falcon on Saturday.
Orange isn't the regular driver for either horse, with Ohoka Arizona his usual drive.
He was ineligible for Saturday's race, so Orange asked Purdon for the drive on Fiery Falcon, which Purdon was happy to give him.
But the owners of Fiery Falcon wanted Colin De Filippi, so Orange was relegated to the stable's third-string juvenile, Steve McQueen.
"I have to be honest and say I wanted to be on Fiery Falcon so it is funny how things work out," said Orange.
"This fella [Steve McQueen] is a top horse but I just thought Fiery Falcon had been going a bit better. I am happy to be wrong."
Steve McQueen dominated the 2-year-old events at the Auckland Cup carnival but stable confidence was dented when he raced below that form after returning south.
"We couldn't work out what was wrong with him and it made it very hard to line up the worth of the form up north," said Orange.
"But nobody is better at getting horses back to their best than Mark and this just proves it.
"He is a great trainer and I think what he has done with the 2-year-olds this season has reminded a few people of that."
While Steve McQueen is now the country's leading juvenile earner in the pacing ranks, he will get a new driver for his next challenge, the $175,000 Sires' Stakes Final at Addington on Friday night.
Orange will return to the sulky behind Ohoka Arizona while Purdon, who was suspended for Saturday's meeting, will partner Fiery Falcon. Jim Curtin is the likely driver for Steve McQueen.
The talented trio then head to the $200,000 Harness Jewels at Ashburton on June 2, where they should continue their carve-up of the juvenile riches.
That could be helped by the fact that Roburascal, who produced one of the runs of the race on Saturday after blasting off the gate from his wide draw, faces a huge battle to even make the Jewels.
He had less than $3000 in qualifying stake earnings before Saturday's race and the $31,000 he earned do not count toward the Harness Jewels rankings because Sales Series races are exempt.
That leaves him needing to run in the first three in the Sires' Stakes Final on Friday to even make the Jewels.
Another trainer with plenty to ponder is Ken Barron.
Mattnamara's Band started favourite on Saturday but has picked a bad time to hit a flat patch.
The speedy pacer was beautifully driven by Clark Barron but failed to show his usual dash.
