James Orman isn’t going to pretend he is not disappointed with Far Too Easy’s wide gate in Wednesday’s Ramornie Handicap at Grafton, but he isn’t going to waste energy on being upset.
The top Queensland rider’s objective now is to devise the best plan to overcome it.
Far Too Easy will start from the second outside barrier in the $200,000 Listed event, which has a field of 16.
“It’s not ideal but there’s not much I can do about that, I’ve just got to deal with it as it comes,” Orman told RadioTab’s Racing HQ.
“We’ll just jump out and probably be mid-to-back (of the field) and hopefully we’re storming down the middle of the track.
“He’s a very good horse ridden quiet with a bit of cover when he can relax and he can really hit the line nice when he’s relaxed good.”
In addition to the wide barrier, the David Malcolm-trained four-year-old has 58kg to deal with in the 1200-metre event, for which he is second favourite behind the Adam Campton-trained Deepour (54kg, barrier 11).
The Ramornie Handicap will be the first start since a second placing behind Prince Of Boom in the Group 2 Moreton Cup (1200m) for Far Too Easy, who last October finished runner-up to Front Page in the $2 million The Kosciuszko (1200m).
He is one of four rides on the first day of the Clarence River Jockey Club carnival for Orman, who also rides Bettcha The Crown in the $80,000 Grafton Guineas (1600m).
Unlike Far Too Easy, the Desleigh Forster-trained Bettcha The Crown has drawn well in barrier two, which Orman said gives him his chance against last-start Winx Guineas fourth placegetter Crafty Eagle (barrier 12) and Annabel Neasham-trained winning machine Flashing Steel (five).
“There is a couple there that go well, but we’ve drawn pretty good and we should get a nice run, so it’d nice to be winning that race for Des,” Orman said.
Orman, who is just half-a-win behind Aaron Bullock in the race for the Australian Jockeys’ Premiership, also rides favourites The Statement and Tres Redoute in races two and three respectively.