Unexpected chance for Emily Lang to score biggest career win

Daily Telegraph

04-06-2025

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Emily Lang is poised to snatch an incredible slice of riding history and become the first female jockey to claim the Brisbane riding title … and now she has an unexpected shot at her biggest career win.
It seems inevitable that history will be created in Brisbane this season with apprentice Lang (57 wins) and Angela Jones (50 wins) leading the city title race ahead of James Orman (45) who is now riding in Hong Kong.
Next in the race are Andrew Mallyon and Bailey Wheeler, both with 42 wins.
Lang, who is apprenticed to champion trainer Tony Gollan, has enjoyed a breakthrough season and has won a pair of Listed races but never a Group race.
She now gets an unforeseen chance to scoop her biggest career win when riding Boomtown Boss for Gollan in the rescheduled $300,000 Group 3 Fred Best Classic at Doomben on Wednesday.
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Blake Shinn had originally been booked to ride Boomtown Boss in the Fred Best before a foot injury last week ruled him out of the winter carnival.
With Lang suspended, Ryan Maloney had been slated to step in to ride Boomtown Boss in the Fred Best at Eagle Farm last Saturday.
But the race, which offers the winner a golden ticket into the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap, was been rescheduled to Doomben on Wednesday after the it was among a cluster of races postponed when jockeys opted to stop riding at Eagle Farm last Saturday due to poor visibility.
It means Lang can return from suspension and take the prized mount.
Jockey Emily Lang (left) with Brisbane Racing Club Ambassador, Shayna Jack, at the Queensland winter carnival launch in April. Picture: Josh Woning
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The duo has previously enjoyed success together including claiming the Listed Daybreak Lover.
'Emily and I are a while away from focusing on riding premierships for her, we will worry about that in July,' Gollan said.
'At the moment, this ride in the Fred Best is a good reward for her.
'Blake was on and Emily was suspended but it's great for her now to put back on the horse in a good race.
'Whether it can springboard her into something else the following weekend or later in the carnival, who knows.
'Whatever the result, I am really happy to have Emily riding this horse in this race, that is for sure.'
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This time last week, Boomtown Boss was a $13 chance to win the Fred Best.
But with the race rescheduled and now at Doomben instead of Eagle Farm, he is a $23 chance in latest betting.
'For me, personally, I would prefer this race to be at Eagle Farm rather than Doomben,' Gollan conceded.
'I think this horse would be better at Eagle Farm with the bigger track and more room.
'The race presents a lot differently around Doomben and there's not as much room for error.
'He can have an error or two in the way he races, because he's not a finished product yet. But he's definitely up to the grade.'
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Originally published as Unexpected chance for Brisbane premiership frontrunner Emily Lang to score biggest career win in Group 2 Fred Best Classic at Doomben