Flying Class provides Gavin Lang with his 35th metro win of the season
Lance Justice might have had the metropolitan trainers’ premiership wrapped up going into Friday night’s meeting at Melton’s Tabcorp Park, but the drivers’ title wasn’t finalised until the last race of the season.
Like at the start of the night, there was only one win between Gavin Lang and Chris Alford at the end of the card.
Neither of that pair was able to win the 2Construct Pace that rounded out the program leaving Lang to secure back-to-back crowns.
He finished with 35 metro-class wins for the racing year with Alford, who was chasing a seventh metro drivers’ title, on 34.
It was an exciting finish to the title that looked over when Lang stretched his advantage with an unexpected win early in the night.
He combined with Glenn Douglas-trained $13 chance Flying Class to upset his rivals in the third race on the card.
That gave him a two-win lead with bookings for favourites in three of the next four events.
But Lang couldn’t get any of them home and when Alford was able to take out the seventh race of the night behind Ruby Dazzler the margin was back to one with two races to go.
Alford’s chances of victory in race eight ended when Speedy Naomi galloped at the start and he could manage only second last aboard Idengood Time in the final event, leaving Lang to celebrate just his second metro drivers’ title.
Third on 32 wins was the suspended Daryl Douglas, while Jodi Quinlan (28) and Lance Justice (27) both cemented their place in the top five with wins last night.
