Lang Inwood didn't have far to travel on Saturday night with the four-year-old mare Batavia Silverline as he trains his team of horses on the Burwood Park track.
Batavia Silverline was perfectly placed during the race by driver Shannon Suvalkjo in the one-out one-back position before hitting the front turning shortly after turning for home and coming away for a comfortable win.
It was Batavia Silverline's second win in her past three starts and her third for the current season.
The mare is raced by Lang's parents Jennifer and Graeme Inwood.
Lang Inwood has been involved as a trainer and driver for a bit over 21 years and his skill as a driver has seen him drive three of the last nine Albany Cup winners.
He won in 2011 with Lombo Socrates which was trained by his brother Giles, with Bronze Seeker for Peter Anderson in 2014 and in 2018 he drove Major Stare for Barry Howlett.
While Lang has driven 290 winners across the State, it is as a trainer that he appears to have found his niche.
Since Follow The Lode gave Lang his first win as a trainer in Albany in February 1998 he has trained 432 winners across almost every track in the State.
Follow The Lode could almost have been named after Lang as he followed the outer country circuit at tracks such as Albany, Geraldton and Kalgoorlie looking for that ever elusive winner.
"I worked for Justin Warwick and Ross Olivieri for a couple of years to learn the basics of training and conditioning horses before going out on my own," Inwood said.
Inwood set up stables in Northam in some eight years ago and he currently has a team of 10 in work.
"I lease the stables off Robert Watson and it is a really good set-up which includes a pool and it gets plenty of use in the summertime in Northam," Inwood said.
With a couple of young children and a partner to look after Inwood's days of spending months at the State's harness racing outposts are behind him.
"Northam is pretty central being an hour and a half from Gloucester Park and about the same to Narrogin and with a good number of meetings locally and at Kellerberrin, it suits me," Inwood added.
