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By Tony Megahey

Former injury plagued eight-year-old Listen To The Band is sweet music for new trainer Dubbo’s Clint Lundholm and likely also for punters' ears and pockets into Friday’s Orange TAB meeting.

The near retired Tickets gelding is coming off a stunning five lengths-plus 1000m maiden win at Warren in a sizzling 57.64 that even surprised Lundholm.

Listen To The Band contests The Oriana, Orange Country Boosted BM 58, 1000m with an ideal rails draw and 59kg for Jake Pracey-Holmes who won on him at Warren.

“The old boy is tap dancing pretty quick - Jake said he won with something to spare, couldn’t believe the time and neither could I - it wins this I reckon,” Clint quipped.

Trainer Clint Lundholm.

“Only my opinion. Up in grade I know off a steady maiden but rails draw, flying, and improvement second-up.

“The time he put up wins stronger races up here, I know that."

Lundholm only got him by chance.

After surgery for bone chips and a long spell, Listen To The Band won successive trials impressively at Cowra and Dubbo and took it to the racetrack.

“He certainly did, I thought he’d be hard to beat off the trials, Jake rode him in the trial, but to win the way he did,'' he said.

“One of his part owners out here, John Cover was sending some unraced youngsters to me but couldn’t load them.

"So he loaded the old boy first on the truck to get them to follow. He’d been in work but when I gave him a hit out I knew there was something seriously wrong.

“So we had him X-rayed and found bone chips. We remedied that with surgery, gave him a decent spell and he came back working enormous into those trials.”

A typical full book for Grant Buckley and convincing form makes him the jockey to follow.

“Like to think I’ve got lives chances all day, I’m on Smartawi for Greg Hickman in the third, lightly raced three-year-old off stronger races at Newcastle and Beaumont, fitter for racing and drawn,” Buckley said.

Smartawi will be big value as will Down To Earth for Bathurst’s Ashlee Grives in the sixth event.

“Also been in tougher races and did things wrong but getting fitter - it won two at Bathurst last prep impressively, if it can find something like that form it’s right in the race.

“And Ashlee is a really switched-on horsewoman. Had a lot of success in harness racing, hers always present in the yard.”

Orange will race on a good four in fine weather.

All the fields, form and replays for Friday's Orange meeting