Gavin Lang heads into Friday night's Tabcorp Park meeting of the season one win clear of Chris Alford in the race for the metro drivers' premiership
Gavin Lang has found an unexpected ally in his quest for back-to-back Victorian metropolitan drivers’ premierships.
The Melton reinsman has picked up three drives for Glenn Douglas as he strives to maintain a one-win advantage over Chris Alford heading into the final metro meeting of the season.
The drives only became available when Douglas’s younger brother and stable driver Daryl, who is just two wins astern Lang, was suspended at Ballarat last Saturday night.
With his brother kicking up his heels at the end of a fourth straight Australian drivers’ premiership-winning season, the Bendigo trainer has turned to Lang in a bid to farewell 2008/09 with some more city winners.
“Daryl’s awaiting an appeal, but because it’s nearing the end of the season he decided to take a couple of weeks off and have a holiday while the appeal goes through, so we’ve put ‘Gav’ in charge,” Douglas said.
Lang’s headline engagement is the highest profile runner at Tabcorp Park, Bold Cruiser, who will step out in the meeting’s fast-class event, the $20,000 Minuteman Free-For-All.
The Grand Circuit winner is having his first start since finishing sixth in the Group 1 Winter Cup in Brisbane on July 25 and the 2240-metre event always loomed as the starting point for his Kilmore Cup defence.
“Since we got back this was always the race we were going to front up in first,” Douglas said. “He’s had an easy time of things since coming back, but the way he’s worked at home he should go well.
“He’s done everything we asked since he got back, but he’s drawn a little awkwardly and there are some good ones in it, so it should be a good race.”
Bold Cruiser will roll from barrier five against the likes of Our Malabar (four), Cincinnati Kid (six), Pacific Charm (seven), Ti Vogliobene (eight) and Henchman (nine) in the race set down for 9.12pm.
Lang, who's won 34 races for the season, also has the job aboard Flying Class (Race 3) and Notaswethort (Race 7) for Douglas, while his other drives are Hectic (Race 4) and Ultimate Under Fire (Race 5) for David Aiken and Dreamaway Vogue (Race 9).
It’s a handy book, but one Alford would be confident he could compete with. The six-time metro drivers’ title winner also has six drives, including fancied types Howards Dilemma (Race 3) and Ruby Dazzler (Race 7).
His other bookings are Gyspy Tingira (Race 4), Ghadasbest (Race 5), Speedy Naomi (Race 8) and Idengood Time (Race 9).
While the drivers’ premiership could go down to the last race of the season, the trainers’ title will go to Lance Justice for the third time in four seasons with the Melton horseman enjoying an eight-win advantage over his nearest rival.
