Quiet Achiever: James Orman's season springs to life in March

James Orman’s season has taken time to build, but March has turned him into one of the quieter success stories in the Hong Kong jockeys’ room.

Orman sits eighth in the jockeys’ premiership with 23 wins and has made the most of his chances despite being unable to ride below 123-pounds.

After managing just one winner in September, he picked up through October and November with five wins, matched that mark in December, then did it again across January and February.

This month has been the shift. Orman already has seven wins in March and is striking at 17.5 percent, which puts him equal second with Zac Purton. Only Andrea Atzeni has fared better, with 12 wins at a 21.8 percent strike rate.

The bulk of Orman’s support this season has come through the stables of David Hall and Me Tsui Yu-sak, who have provided five winners each, and they could again play a major role at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. Six of his nine rides come for the pair.

His book may not leap off the page at first glance, but Brownneedsfurther gives him a genuine chance in section one of the Class 4 Kwai Chung Handicap over 1,200 meters.

The Hall-trained four-year-old returns to Happy Valley, where he has placed in both runs at the course and distance, and his recent trial there in first-time blinkers hinted that a breakthrough might not be far away.

“He’s taken a while to mature but the ability is there. He’s better than Class 4,” Orman said. “He’s trialed the best he ever has, so hopefully he is ready to go on with it.”

Orman partners Tsui-trained Candlelight Dinner for a fifth time in the Class 3 Rotary Centenary Challenge Cup over 1,000 meters and will be hoping the conditions again suit the five-year-old.

“His trial was fair, but he never really trials all that flash on the all-weather, so I wouldn’t be too worried about that,” Orman said. “He’s got a good gate in barrier 1, and he’s dynamite over 1,000 meters at Happy Valley.”

Orman has not ridden much for Caspar Fownes this season, but the pairing has still produced two wins from nine rides. They combine again with The Heir in section two of the Class 4 Kwai Chung Handicap over 1,200 meters, where the six-year-old will try to turn back-to-back third placings at the course and distance into a second career win.

“He’s been running good races, so hopefully he can break through again,” Orman said. “He’s only a one-time winner from 28 starts, but he’s been consistent and is knocking on the door again.

“Last start, and the way the rest of the races played out, the fence probably wasn’t the place to be. But it was race two and it was hard to know at that time. I was drawn barrier one too, so you can’t just magically get off the fence.