He's ahead of the game, making Ray bridle terribly (5,4)
I believe the answer is:
early bird
'he's ahead of the game' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.
'ray bridle terribly' is the wordplay.
'terribly' is an anagram indicator.
'ray'+'bridle'='raybridle'
'raybridle' is an anagram of 'EARLY BIRD'.
'making' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for early bird that I've seen before include "This one catches the worm" , "arrived before time" , "one up at dawn" , "communications satellite!" , "one in good time for breakfast" .)