The Star: July 15, 2021

The Star Thursday July 15 2021
38
SPORT
• By Michael Guerin
CHAMPION DRIVER Blair
Orange’s New Zealand season is
all but over.
And as he sits in the Queensland
sun on a much-deserved
busman’s holiday Orange says
he is satisfied with what he has
been able to achieve in his fourth
premiership victory.
Orange travelled to the
sunshine state last Saturday to
partner Krug into fourth in the
Rising Sun at Albion Park, won
by Amazing Dream.
With the travel uncertainties
he has decided to stay there until
after the Queensland Derby on
July 24 in which will be partner
Krug again, even though the star
three-year-old isn’t racing this
weekend.
“I could have come back but
to be honest I need a break and
• By Chris Barclay
VETERAN horseman Kevin
Townley’s recovery from a
serious race day crash is not
quite on track yet, but he is
close to making a comeback to
training.
The 70 year-old needed a hip
replacement after he was thrown
from the sulky while driving
I don’t want to get locked out
of driving Krug in the Derby
in case things change,” said the
his horse Murano after it was
checked by another runner at
Rangiora on April 18.
Replays indicate the West Melton-based
was propelled about
2m into the air before landing
and being run over by a trailing
horse. Murano avoided injury.
Townley said the worst accident
of his career had not guided
him into retirement.
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Time for reflection after premiership victory
FRESHENING UP: Blair Orange is relaxing in Queensland.
43-year-old.
“It will do me some good to
freshen up over here although I
Kevin
Townley
“If I was older
I’d consider
chucking it in,”
he laughed.
Townley, who
also copped
fractured
ribs, expected
to be holding
the reins at track work in
about a fortnight to prepare his
am available for drives at Albion
Park this week if anybody needs
me.
“But I won’t go chasing them,
the main reason I am staying on
is for Krug the week after.”
Covid restrictions allowing,
Orange will fly home on Sunday
July 25 and that will mean one
more meeting in New Zealand
for the season, at Addington on
July 29.
It is understandable Orange is
slightly tired as not only has he
driven 176 winners on the way to
his fourth straight premiership
but he has also driven in 1133
races, his second busiest season
after the 1321 drives he had in
the 2017-18 season.
“I am actually still really
enjoying it, the driving and I
even don’t mind the travelling.
“And those numbers were even
after I got a six week holiday for
12-strong team for a return to
racing in September.
“It’s all good, I’m very close to
being back to normal.”
Townley was unsure when he
would return to driving during
an annual meeting, noting he
had scale back those commitments
over the years.
“The main thing for me is
the training. I gave up seriously
my drinking indiscretion, which
I have learned from.”
Orange says those sort of
numbers wouldn’t be possible
without the huge support of
owners and trainers and or
course his family.
He rates Krug’s New Zealand
Derby as his highlight of the
season.
“That was very, very satisfying
and he has been a really good
horse to me which is another
reason I am happy to be here to
drive him in their derby.”
Orange says one of his other
favourite victories for the season
was Mystic Max’s win in the
Lone Star Sires’ Stakes Trotting
Champs on May 21.
“I was thrilled to win that not
so much for me but for Michael
Purdon so I got a real buzz of
that.”
Harness Racing Desk
Townley close to comeback after being thrown from sulky
being a driver 20 years ago and I
just do the odd one now. I don’t
see anything changing from
what it was before.
“I’ll do the odd one if I think
it’s helpful for the trainer for me
to drive it, see what it’s doing and
things like that,” he said.
“It doesn’t worry me whether
I’m (driving regularly) at the
races any longer, I’ve had my go.”
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