Roger Lang, one of the best jockeys in an outstanding era, will be remembered for a list of achievements that defied his constant battle with weight.
Memories of Lang’s prowess in the saddle have been revived with news of his death yesterday at age 77 following a period of poor health.
Among those to pay tribute to Lang are his mentor Dave O’Sullivan and fellow New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame member, former champion jockey David Peake.
“Roger was my first apprentice just after I began training in the early sixties,” iconic trainer O’Sullivan recalled.
“To begin with he wasn’t the easiest kid to deal with but at the same time he was always going to be a good jockey, he had that special something.
“He was much taller than other flat jockeys and it was such a pity that as he matured his weight restricted his opportunities like it did.
“Despite that he was an outstanding horseman, one of New Zealand’s best when there were a lot of very good jockeys.
“I had a lot of apprentices over the years, but Roger would rate along with Peter Johnson, Lance (O’Sullivan) and Shane (Dye) as the pick of them.”
High-profile O’Sullivan-trained horses that Lang was associated with included Oopik and Shivaree, both of whom he partnered to major wins in Australia.
“I remember when Roger and I first went to Australia – from memory it was to ride Oopik in the Sydney Cup – and when he went to apply for his licence they looked at him and said ‘What are you going to ride – elephants?’
“Roger, quick as ever, replied ‘Yeah, and we’re going to beat your horses.’ ”
Sure enough, Oopik, who had given O’Sullivan his first ever black-type win when then stable apprentice Peter Johnson rode him to victory in the 1973 Hawke’s Bay Guineas, won the 1976 Sydney Cup.
The O’Sullivan/Lang combination also claimed major wins at the 1979 Sydney autumn carnival with Shivaree in the Tancred Stakes and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
“I never hesitated taking Roger to Australia to ride my horses,” said O’Sullivan. “He would have been a match for any jockey over there, anywhere in the world in fact – he was that good.”
As well as the best from Wexford Stables, Lang was also associated with top 1970s gallopers Kiwi Can and Silver Wraith, both of whom he rode to victory in the Easter Handicap in 1974 and 1978 respectively.
One of his earliest feature wins had been Stella Summer, who he rode to an all-the-way win in the 1963 Avondale Gold Cup, and Kind Regards in the 1969 Great Northern Oaks.
David Peake, a jockeys’ room contemporary through the 1960s and ’70s, recalls the battles he and the likes of Grenville Hughes, Norm Holland and Bob Skelton had with Lang.
“Roger was a brilliant rider, he didn’t give you an inch out on the track and he stopped me from riding a good few winners, but we all respected where we stood, and at the end of the day we were mates.
“I was lucky to be a natural lightweight, but for Roger it was tough, seeing him having to spend so much time in the sweatbox.
“What he could have achieved but for his weight, that’s something we’ll never know.”
From those restricted opportunities, Lang rode 332 New Zealand winners in a two-decade career that ended in 1981.
As the son-in-law of former leading Cambridge trainer Jack Winder, Lang turned to training and from small numbers prepared 160 winners, including 55 in partnership with his son Darrell.
Perhaps his most notable win came early in his training career with One Guinea, who scored a rare feature success against Australian two-year-olds when he won the 1986 Gr. 1 Castlemaine Stakes at Eagle Farm.
Due to failing health, Lang relinquished his licence last year. He was predeceased just three months ago by his wife Sheryl.
