Let Me Thru must overcome the loss of regular reinsman Chris Lang Jr to win at Tabcorp Park this Friday night
Having banished Let Me Thru’s controversial first-up outing from his memory, champion Nagambie trainer Chris Lang is looking forward with Australia’s most exciting trotter.
The star son of Muscles Yankee kicks off his six-year-old campaign in Friday night’s $20,000 Group 3 True Roman Trotters Free-For-All (2240m) at Melton’s Tabcorp Park, his first outing since beating home just one rival in the Group 2 Australasian Breeders Crown Trotters FFA on August 19.
Lang’s son and regular reinsman Chris Lang Jnr was suspended for six weeks – reduced to four on appeal – for not affording Let Me Thru every chance when he chose not to pull out down the back straight, resulting in Let Me Thru going to the line under a stranglehold.
“I’ve forgotten about that (race) already,” Lang said. “He trialled at Shepparton last Thursday night and he was in the same trial as pacers including Villagem and he was timed to run his last half (mile) in 56.5 seconds.
“We were quite happy with that and I would say that the trial should have benefitted him, so he could at least go that good again this week.”
Lang will take over from his son for what will be his first race drive behind Let Me Thru since he ran third in a C0 at Charlton on August 9 last year.
That was his last defeat before embarking on a 10-race winning run that only culminated with narrow Inter Dominion defeat at the hands of I Can Doosit in Auckland early this April.
Atoning for that defeat next February is Lang’s long-term goal and while he is likely to have a let-up after the True Roman, he is eager to see him get back into the winner’s list.
Although the best-performed horse in the race, Let Me Thru drew well under the preferential conditions of the draw and will start from barrier six in the nine-horse event.
Lang hopes Let Me Thru can steal an advantage over key rivals I Didnt Do It (eight) and Earl Of Mot (nine), who make up the second line, with Don King (three) – who resumed with an impressive win last week – and talented mare Sassy Pinevale (five) the other dangers.
“The competition has the advantage of race fitness, so I’m probably lucky the way the draw has panned out because obviously Earl Of Mot and I Didnt Do It have been setting the standard of late and I’m hoping that I’m going to settle in front of them,” Lang said.
“But then you’ve still got Sassy Pinevale, whose been going well, and of course Don King, who was super impressive at his first run back, so I’m hoping that I can get somewhere close to the front and just see what happens from there.”
Lang will also be represented by Go Ahead Makemyday, who also resumed in the Breeders Crown FFA, finishing one spot in front of Let Me Thru, and he is also satisfied with his draw of barrier four.
“He was a very good run first up as well,” Lang said. “From number four, if he could get a forward spot and get a soft run I think the horse is going well enough (to be in the finish).”
Go Ahead Makemyday will be driven by Chris Alford in the True Roman FFA, which is Race 6 on the Tabcorp Park card at 9.12pm.
