Steel Jaw and Norm Lang - The trailblazing Aussie duo who rewrote NZ Cup history in 1983

The novelty attached to a NZ Cup win by an Australian horse has long worn off. In fact the Kiwis were quite philosophical when Kingman and Leap To Fame provided the quinella last year. They were equally gracious about Swayzee having the temerity to win consecutive Cups in 2023 and 2024. When Arden Rooney led all the way to win in 2015 they were quietly impressed that Kerrin Manning had become the first female driver to steal the honours- not half as impressed as they would have been had the distinction fallen to a Kiwi girl. There were mild shock waves in 1987 when My Lightning Blue outgunned fellow Aussie Paleface Bubble in the Grand Final.

But things were different way back in 1983. There hadn’t been an Aussie runner since 1971 and that was the talented Bay Foyle who finished fourth after a slow start. To find the previous one you had to go way back to 1954 when the brilliant Sydneysider Ribands “crossed the ditch”. This son of Lawn Derby could do freakish things but was always a risk from the stand start. He was on his worst behaviour on Cup day and never got into the race. By now the locals were beginning to think all Australian horses had poor barrier manners. That opinion looked likely to be vindicated when visitor Steel Jaw stepped away tentatively before hitting his straps and finding the top with relative ease. It took the parochial New Zealand trots fans a long time to come to terms with what they witnessed in the following few minutes.

The Aussie raider won that Cup of ‘83 by an eye watering margin of twenty metres, or nine and a half lengths as it was reported at the time. His official time of 4.05.3 for the two miles was a new race and track record. The indignation of the locals was further heightened by the fact that the tough-as-teak gelding had become the first Australian horse to ever win their sacred pacing event.

Steel Jaw was trained on the NSW Southern Highlands by self effacing horseman Norm Lang who’d also been the pacer’s driver in a freakish sequence of wins leading up to the ambitious Christchurch campaign. Only a week ago memories of the legendary 1983 “ambush” prompted me to investigate Norm Lang’s present whereabouts and state of health. An old mobile number on my contact list had been disabled, but I was encouraged by an accompanying email address. I banged out a quick message in the hope N.J Lang might be on the other end.

It wouldn’t have been ten minutes later when the 1983 NZ Cup hero responded with the trademark cheeriness that had endeared him to the Sydney harness racing world decades earlier. Norm reports that he’s now in his ninety first year, living on the NSW Central Coast and still enjoying the odd game of bowls. He was delighted to learn that Harnesslink was planning a tribute to the horse responsible for the supreme highlight of his distinguished career.

Norm Lang had never heard of Steel Jaw until April 1983 when friend Peter Stanmore advised him the horse was on the market in Victoria for just $5,000. “On checking his form my first response was to give him a miss,” Norm recalled. “He’d had eleven runs for just two placings and had actually fallen at his most recent start. He was one of five horses to come to grief in a race at Wangaratta. Further research revealed that he did have some ability, and was worth a try at the price. Two of my owners Stan Everett and Ossie Marr decided to take the punt.”

Norm’s confidence took a further dive when he discovered the rising five year old had been “cross-firing” on the near fore fetlock joint. Relatively uncommon these days, cross firing is a gaiting problem old time trainers agonised over. It occurs when a hind foot swings inwards too far and strikes the diagonally opposite front leg, usually on the fetlock joint or lower. The trainer discovered deep seated soreness around the sesamoid region, and immediately turned the gelding out.

When Steel Jaw was nearing the hoppling stage at his next preparation Norm enlisted the aid of veteran master farrier Tom Dillon. Nowadays trotting shoes are mass produced in all shapes and sizes, but old timers like Tom could make the shoes to fit the horse. He quickly designed an off hind shoe for the expat Victorian which was heavier than normal on the outside with an extending trailer at the heel- pretty basic stuff for a harness horse farrier but it proved to be the making of the Gaviland gelding. As Norm got on with the job of conditioning his new recruit, he was relieved to see the cross firing was a thing of the past.

Some impressive trials saw Steel Jaw start odds on in a restricted midweek race at Harold Park on August 2nd 1983. The opposition was moderate but he did win by a huge margin and looked like a horse who’d pay his way. Nobody associated with the gelding could have imagined what a sleeping giant they had on their hands. He was to win fifteen straight races by which time he’d rampaged through his classes earning the popular nickname of the “Mittagong Mauler”.

Allow me to digress by telling you about a conversation I had one morning with the Channel 9 News director who informed me a very quiet week in sport was coming up. “Is there a newsworthy galloper who’d warrant some exposure on one of the nightly bulletins,” he asked. “There’s an amazing harness horse on the Southern Highlands who looks the real deal,” was my reply.

The following morning we landed on Norm Lang’s Mittagong property in the 9 News “chopper” with a camera crew ready to shoot some footage of Steel Jaw’s trackwork. I might add it was no easy task to get a trotting story on a major TV News bulletin in those days. Come to think of it, nothing’s changed. Norm obliged with a fast workout behind the rapidly emerging topliner, and was happy to follow up with an interview about the most exciting horse he’d ever trained. That story went to air just a few hours later.

After all that hype the unthinkable happened at his next run, when he was beaten for the first time in sixteen starts. “He went under to two great horses in Gammalite and Willadios and all these years later I can tell you the reason for that defeat,” said Norm. “He’d gotten out of his yard the previous night and gorged himself on fresh green grass. I didn’t tell too many people but I knew he wouldn’t be at his best at Harold Park.”

He actually went under again at his next start, but this was one of his best ever performances. The race was the Craven Filter Sprint at Albion Park in which he ran into champion Popular Alm. “I almost crossed him at the start and there’s no doubt it was the difference between winning and losing,” Norm recalled. “He lost a hind shoe on the first turn and was off balance for the rest of the race. He got beaten eight metres into second place and finished in front of horses like Bundanoon, Gammalite and Double Agent.”

The die was cast. Lang and connections made the call to take on the Kiwis but opted for one more run at Harold Park before departing for Christchurch. For a few seconds early in the race that decision looked to be a poor one. Old Double Agent crossed too sharply after the start of the Golden Mile and brought down West Aussie pacer Smooth Dave. As Steel Jaw charged through from the second row his sulky made contact with that of the fallen horse, ejecting Norm from his seat. Thankfully he was unhurt but horrified to see his NZ Cup hopeful loose in the field. Steel Jaw’s unflappable temperament was never more evident as he slowed down and waited for the Clerk of The Course to pick him up.

Before he knew it Steel Jaw was in Christchurch where he worked stylishly and wasn’t fazed by extensive standing start practice, a procedure he was unfamiliar with. “When the strands were released in the NZ Cup he stepped safely but was just a bit tentative for a few strides,” said Norm. “The second he felt balanced I let him stride to the top and apart from Hands Down having a quick dip for the lead mid race, I had no real concerns. He felt sensational in the run home, but I still couldn’t believe how far he’d won by.”

What should have been the most euphoric of Cup presentations for the Australian contingent was soured by the distressing sight of part-owner Ossie Marr collapsing with a cardiac arrest. He was treated on course by paramedics before being hospitalised for a week in Christchurch. Just a couple of months after returning to Australia the popular identity failed to survive a second heart attack. Many friends and associates were aware of the tremendous pleasure Ossie would have derived from being on hand at Addington to watch his favourite horse create a special piece of harness racing history.

Like many NZ Cup winners Steel Jaw backed up three days later in the Free For All but missed a place after a chequered run. An excellent post race recovery prompted Lang to run him again eight days later in a Gr 2 feature. This time he led comfortably and won emphatically to round off a memorable NZ campaign. The ease of his Cup triumph is still talked about by veteran Kiwi harness fans.

Back in Mittagong, Norm was able to give his Trans Tasman hero a brief let-up before getting him ready for the WA Pacing Cup. Steel Jaw led throughout to win a heat at Gloucester Park before tackling a classy field in the final. Sadly he missed a place and pulled up very sore in his troublesome near fore joint. The “Mittagong Mauler’s” legion of fans were never to see him in action again. Norm tried desperately to get him back to the races, but it was clear the remarkable gelding’s stellar racing career was over.

Norm Lang was always acknowledged for his ability to keep horses in training for long preparations. An early example was Dymontee who won 30 races for the stable as did Elegant Jamie. Dynamite king won 25 races, while in later years Alfa Beat scored 17 times. Bondi Bill didn’t win as often as the aforementioned but one of his wins happened to be the 1981 NSW Pacers Derby Final. Norm trained some talented mares during his career, including Magic Symbol, Alice Petersen and the super consistent Trudee. This daughter of Albert Albert won 21 races and got to a very tight mark at Harold Park.

Norm drove his horses right through to the 1991/92 season when major back surgery forced him out of the sulky. He continued to train for another seventeen years with Greg Bennett and Glenn McElhinney doing most of the driving. During that period the master horseman endured two further back surgeries and the loss of a kidney. Throughout a career embracing four decades, Norm Lang earned the respect of punters and fellow horsemen. His horses were unfailingly fit, healthy and more often than not tougher than many of their rivals.

If his recent email is anything to go by, Norm’s memory belies his 91 years. You can bet that memory will be working overtime on November 10th when another NZ Cup takes centre stage at the famous Addington Raceway. It’s a pretty big achievement to have been the trainer and driver of the first Aussie horse to steal the Cup from right under their noses- and by nine and a half lengths if you please.

 

By John Tapp for Harnesslink