Racing: Lang now has more reason to visit NZ

Horse trainers don't come any more Australian than Chris Lang.

With his laconic attitude, lazy speech and keen eye for form, Lang is your typical Aussie harness horseman and proud of it.

That is, every week of the year apart from next week.

Come Monday, Lang will come to his second home looking for New Zealand equine gold, starting his mining at the Karaka sales before heading south to Christchurch.

There, he will cast his eyes over almost every trotting-bred yearling that goes under the hammer at the PGG Wrightson sales. And the reason is simple.

"You can't beat New Zealand-bred trotters in this part of the world," says Lang.

He should know. On Saturday night at Moonee Valley he won his third Interdominion Trotting Championship in as many years, with Sundon's Gift defending his title from last year.

Before that Lang officially trained, if only for a while, Galleons Sunset on loan from Derek Balle.

In an era of great trotting trainers like Paul Nairn, Phil Williamson, Tim Butt, Mark Purdon and Tony Herlihy, Lang has emerged as the king.

And the reasons are the trotting blue-breds he buys from New Zealand.

"Look, anybody who knows me knows I am a very proud Aussie and I love giving it to the Kiwis when I get a chance," said Lang after Saturday night's win.

"But I have learnt you guys simply breed better trotters than us.

"There are so many great trotting families over there and that is why we keep going back."

While he will be here for the sales next week, Lang could come back to Auckland with Sundon's Gift a likely contender for the Rowe Cup at Alexandra Park in May.

"If we can get him going that way around I'd love to be there as I have always wanted to race a really good horse over there."

That adventurous spirit has helped make Sundon's Gift the superstar he is now because when he won the final last season he was still an erratic talent.

Lang took him on an expensive and ultimately unsuccessful campaign in Scandinavia, from which Sundon's Gift has returned a better-gaited trotter, with more gate speed.

"It was one of the greatest experiences of my life and it also brought me back a better horse."

When Sundon's Gift eventually retires Lang has a superb replacement in Skyvalley, who finished a fighting third on Saturday night.

"And, of course, he is Kiwi-bred too," said Lang.

To add to a great result for the New Zealand breeding industry, former Cambridge trotter Kasyanov split the Lang duo.