In addition to the TAB Breeders Crown Silver Finals tonight at Bray Raceway Ballarat (first race 5.59pm) the SBG Accountants Metropolitan Drivers Premiership will also be decided.
Last year Chris Alford and Gavin Lang finished tied on 41 wins apiece, six clear of Greg Sugars in third on 35 wins.
This season amazingly with just tonight’s metro races to run, Alford and Lang are once again locked in battle at 47 wins apiece, with Sugars again third and again six wins astern.
“It’s funny how things work out. There are 52 weeks in a year and again it all comes down to the final night,” Lang said on his way to Charlton trots where he has four drives before tonight’s Ballarat card.
Alford and Lang have three drives each tonight at Ballarat and on paper Lang has the better card.
But, as Lang quite rightly points out: “That’s how it was on Sunday, too, but it doesn’t always work out that way and the underdog sometimes wins.”
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Alford is fair to say pessimistic about his metro title chances tonight.
“I’m more hoping he doesn’t drive a winner and it finishes in a draw,” he said, also on his way to Charlton where he too has four drives.
“Kheiron is my best chance (in the first race). He ran a good race in the Breeders Crown but (Brent) Lilley’s two look hard to beat.”
One of Lilley’s two is Empire Bay, drawn barrier eight tonight with Lang in the sulky.
If Empire Bay wins Alford’s metro premiership hopes would hit triple figure odds.
“When he’s good he’s very good but he can also be bad when he’s not having a good night,” Lang said of Empire Bay. “If the good Empire Bay turns up he’d be my best chance.”
Both Alford and Lang said they were proud of their results to date this season.
“Before Hectorjayjay and the Breeders Crown I thought he’d be about five wins clear of me and I’d have no hope,” Alford said of his big weekend which made for the grandstand finish.
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Lang said had it not been for several interstate trips during the year “I might have put it beyond doubt by now”.
“Greg’s tally would usually be enough to win the metro premiership so I’d say all three of us have had stellar years, driving for the right camps,” Lang added.
Alford drove his 300th winner for the season last night aboard Rocknroll Icon, who produced a slashing debut for trainer Emma Stewart for an easy win at Terang.
Nationally the Puppet is 47 wins clear of second placed Shane Graham of Queensland with Sugars third on 240 victories.
Lang is sixth nationally but has the 10th highest strike rate of any driver in the country with more than 75 starts for the season at 22.86 per cent wins to starts.
Alford, Lang and Sugars have finished trifecta in the metro title every season since 2011-12 when Daryl Douglas ran second to Sugars.
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