Chiang chuffed to score on the double

By Jordan Gerrans

After coming into the industry later in his life, Charlie Chiang was chuffed to prepare the first winning double of his training career on Thursday around ‘The Triangle’.

The 72-year-old only had his maiden starter in a race in the 2018-19 campaign.

The Deception Bay-based Chiang was introduced to the caper a year before he started his training journey.

After owning pacers for a year or so before taking out his licence, the veteran has quickly found a knack for collecting winners.

He was ‘over the moon’ to see Betting Baron and Tracer Bullet score on Thursday as the stable mates won in a race-to-race double.

“I was really thrilled,” Chiang said on Friday afternoon not long after he had finished working his small team of standardbreds.

“I couldn’t believe it. I did not expect it to happen – but it did.

“It was good to get the two winners. They both finished off strongly, they went good.”

Now in his sixth season of training, Chiang’s strike-rate so far to begin 2024 is as strong as it ever has been.

He boasts a 17 per cent winning strike-rate from 24 starters since the new year commenced.

The previous best strike-rate from the barn was 11 per cent back in 2019-20.

Betting Baron ($14) and Tracer Bullet ($19) began from the inside draw on the second row at Redcliffe on Thursday and neither were fancied in the market.

Chiang – who bred budgerigars before getting into harness racing – did not anticipate his team would perform as well as they did.

“When we drew where we did, I thought we might be a little bit of a chance,” he said.

“I thought they might run in the top five but it was great to see them both win.

“I have been told a few times that my horses are looking a million dollars, which is nice.”

At a combined age of 18, Betting Baron and Tracer Bullet have combined to win 45 races so far and Chiang is hopeful there is a few more to come.

He will find another suitable race for them in the near future.

“They have both been good horses for me,” the veteran said.

“They are not Saturday night Albion Park horses but they do good, they are good.”

Chiang has four racing pacers in his stable and five all up on the books.

He has also dabbled in breeding after getting into the industry.

On top of the four he has presented to the races this year, Chiang has an unraced mare that he bred that he is keen to see debut in the near future.