Ray matures into NZ Cup candidate

Blair Orange would not complain if he got a few more catch drives like Rangataua Ray.

Yesterday, Orange took full advantage of a driving availability on the Pete Wallace-trained gelding to take out the Rangiora Winter Cup.

With regular driver Matty Williamson holidaying on the Gold Coast and backup driver John Dunn driving Joshua Mac for his father Robert, Orange took the reins on the fledgling five-year-old for only the second time in his career.

"I drove him once at Methven and he was pretty disappointing," Orange said.

"But it's a completely different horse that I drove today to the one I drove back then – he's matured into a really nice horse."

The potential identified by Orange has been easy to spot on the track. During this preparation Rangataua Ray has grown from a sometimes erratic but full of potential pacer, into one of the real up and coming stars in the Canterbury ranks.

That form is enough to convince his trainer Wallace to start looking ahead towards the second Tuesday in November and the New Zealand Trotting Cup.

"We need to win a couple more races so we are assessed as an eight-win horse and then eligible for those Cup lead-up races," Wallace said. Rangataua Ray has now won nine of his 40 starts and with 15 placings and more than $100,000 in the bank the winning doesn't look like it will end with yesterday's success. Catching the eye in victory yesterday was the impressive debutant Chaff Muncha.

The John and Karen Parsons-trained pacer gained some hefty public support after encouraging trial performances and did not let anyone down with a bold win in the hands of Bob Butt.

"I really think he can go a wee way," Butt said.

- © Fairfax NZ News