Chris Lang Jnr ready to end five-year hiatus

A familiar name in Victorian harness racing is poised for a long-awaited return to the sulky.

12-time Group 1-winning reinsman Chris Lang Jnr has been absent from Victorian race meetings since his winning drive on Betty Hall at Maryborough in August of 2019, but is likely to end that drought when he partners a horse he trains in a race at Bendigo later this month.

The 38-year-old has remained involved in the sport despite his absence from the races through the breeding and breaking-in of standardbreds, and says it was a filly by Angus Hall that he prepares with wife Haley that helped push him to compete again.

“This one (Sassy Galleon) got passed in at the sales and I did quite like her, so I thought I’d just train her myself as a hobby. And now here we are,” Lang, from Grenville, said.

“I’m going to trial her one more time, all going to plan, and I’m aiming at running at Bendigo on the 24^th of this month.”

Lang told thetrots.com.au he had completed 13 of the 15 trial drives required for him to regain his licence.

“Trials are like riding a bike. People let you in, you’ve got plenty of room… I know there’s going to be no favours when I go out at the races,” he said.

“I’m hoping she’s good enough to go to the Vicbred final and onto Breeders Crown, so they’re the races I’m looking a bit further forward to.

“It’ll be good to get out there, just blow out the cobwebs and hopefully not pull the wrong rein.”

Lang said he was open to taking drives from other trainers as he looks to re-establish himself in Victorian harness racing.

“If I picked up a few drives, I’d be happy,” he said.

“I’ve got no sort of set plan, I’m just going to see where it takes me I guess.”

Lang drove more than 300 winners during a glittering career in the sulky between 2003 and 2019. He guided Let Me Thru to glory in the 2011 Australasian Trotting Championship Final among five Group 1 triumphs with the son of Muscles Yankee, and also partnered stars like Shes An Image, Miss Warbucks, Miss Bullion and Skyvalley to success at the top level.

Lang has also trained 32 winners, including that Group 1 triumph with Miss Warbucks in the 2011 Trotters Mile at Menangle.

by Tim O’Connor, for HRV