EMILY LANG'S RISE TO THE TOP. THE SUCCESS STORY FROM A FAMILY MEMBER'S PERSPECTIVE

By Graham Potter | Sunday, August 3, 2025

Emily Lang’s sprint to the top has been one of the two top stories of the racing season in Queensland … the other being the securing of an historic win by Angela Jones in the Brisbane Jockey’s Premiership.

Lang's meteoric rise in the riding ranks has been an experience shared every step of the way by her family. HRO's Graham Potter had a chat with Tammy Lang to get the behind the scenes, family perspective of the early background and then the high-speed trip up the ladder of Brisbane’s Champion apprentice. This is that story in Tammy Lang's words.

ON THE PREMIERSHIP CHASE

“I think Emily was so focussed on the apprentice title during the season that the main Premiership didn’t get her attention until she was there and all of the hype started around her. There was just so much media attention.

“With all of the conversations we had with her during the season, she was just so focussed on her goal and doing what she needed to achieve that.

“We understood that, but we were so sad on occasions because we are quite a tight family, and she missed out on so much. It’s hard when one piece of us is missing when we are having special family time, but Em said to me, “You know mum, this is my life, and I have to put this first if I’m going to get to where I want to be.

“She is quite driven, and she has been for some time now. Back in the old pony club days she didn’t care. There was no competitiveness at all … everything was sunshine and rainbows and be happy.

“She was such a shy little girl early on, but then in year 11 and year 12 she kind of found herself. She was the Head Girl at Rockhampton Girl’s Grammar School and she hasn’t looked back from there.

“Now she is very competitive. She has said to me, “second doesn’t get you another ride, mum.” She has told me that or, “you have got to win,” many times.

“And she is so hard on herself. We don’t have to say anything … well I don’t even know what I’m looking at half the time, I just clap when she gets over the line safely. I’m always just really happy if she is safe.

“We still get into trouble with Em because we don’t know what we are talking about half the time when it comes to racing. We try … but we try even harder to be a big support to her."

ON THE OPENING UP OF A BRAVE NEW WORLD

“The world has just opened up to her so much and the support she has got has been amazing. Even meeting Shayna Jack at the Brisbane Carnival launch … people like that … and they stay in touch with her which is beautiful.

“Craig Williams has been unreal. He has been helping Emily. Even a phone call to pep her up couple of weeks ago when I think she didn’t do so well. He called her and said, “what are you going to do about it Em. You have got to watch the replays and then we go again. Tomorrow’s is a new day.

“These people don’t have to do these things … and they certainly don’t waste their time. I actually said to Em that Craig must have seen something in you in his few times to Brisbane when you rode with him that he thinks it is worth his time just to give you a call to see how you are.

“Then there’s Robbie Fradd. If I’m with Emily in the car Robbie rings her religiously on the way to the track just to help get her mind right and stuff. Just the way he speaks to her shows how much he really does care.

“I really love that he has been a jockey at the highest level himself. Everybody can give their best advice, but only a jockey knows what it really takes to prepare for, … and ride, in a race.

“I think that is great, because those jockeys who have made it in the world don’t have to do that which makes it very special when they do.

“So many people have helped Emily along the way and she has responded by repaying them by improving all of the time as a rider and growing as a person.”

THE PATH FOLLOWED

“Emily has ridden since she was allowed to really … so she has always had a lot to do with the horses.

"She just loved the eventing world, because we were into camp-drafting and things like that … but none of us had anything to do with racing at all until she got involved in it.

So, while Emily had grown up with horses, racing had never on her radar.

“But then, one day when she was eventing, Sam Lyle, who part of the Olympic team and who has a lovely equestrian centre in New South Wales, came to Yeppoon to train the kids … to do a school with them … and he must have seen something in Emily and he said, “are you interested in coming down to Sydney and taking a gap year and working we me … you can bring your horse and so on … and yes, much to our horror we let her go and that one year turned into two years.

‘We were devastated that she was following this horse path … which admittedly we had given her exposure to … that none of us wanted her to follow.

“Then, trainer Matthew Smith had pre-trainers coming to Sam’s place a lot, so Em started riding the thoroughbreds and she must have enjoyed that off-the-track work quite a lot.

“When she came back after those two years she said she needed a part-time job while she was at Uni. She said she’d look around and that something would come up … and I remember saying, “over my rotting corpse are you are going to ride a racehorse and God, now look at her. I still have a heart attack every time she rides. In think I ride with her.

“Of course, she saw that Chris Munce was looking for track-work riders and off she went and that is where the racing side of things really started for her … and it just grew from there."

THE STEVEN O’DEA / MATT HOYSTED FACTOR

“When she moved to the Steven O’Dea and Matthew Hoysted stable they really did look after her, they took her under their wing and she also has a lovely relationship with Matt’s wife Caitlin.

“I think starting off a bit later in racing … being more mature … has absolutely been a positive for Em … and also the fact that nobody rushed her.

“In fact, it was the opposite.

“What Steven and Matt did for her was that … and I can’t remember the figures were now … but, back then, if you had to have, say, twenty rides in something before you could progress to the next level, the boys made her have more than that until they thought she was absolutely ready, which has really paid off … along with having that maturity to deal with many things, including the sort of comments jockeys sometimes get on social media.

“If you are sixteen and experiencing all that kind of stuff. In your early twenties, like Em was when she started. With that maturity, you can handle it better. You really can see the difference.

“The boys were just so good to her. They went to a lot of country meetings for her and even purchased horses fir her to rude there which they didn’t have to do … so, I guess you could say they gave her as good a start as she could have had to her career.

There are beautiful people out there."

AN OFFER TOO GOOD TO REFUSE

“And now Em is with Tony Gollan. How good is that for her.

“For Tony to ask her to come and work for him was an amazing break. Tony obviously saw something in Em to do that. It was a difficult decision for Em to make because Steven and Matt and Caitlin had been so good to her and she was so happy there., but she had to consider what would be the right move for her career.

“Tony is a hard taskmaster. He expects a lot out of the girls but, in return, he seems to be very loyal. He doesn’t have to put them on … every jockey will be knocking at his door.

“Watching Em and Ange Jones celebrating with a champagne spray after the last race on Wednesday, I’m sure everyone will agree Em made the right decision.

“She is obviously reaping the financial rewards of her hard work as well, which is great."

THE WORRY

“There is always the worry. It is a dangerous sport.

“You never want to see a fall or get a phone call.

“A couple of weeks ago we were on our way to the track at Ipswich when Cejay Graham rang me and said, “where are you?” I told her …and I immediately knew something was wrong. Em had had a fall but was alright, but Nikita Beriman is in a bit of trouble now after that fall. Your heart just goes out to her.

“When Em had that fall at the Gold Coast, Mike was at the track, and I was watching on TV. Watching a fall on TV is not nice.

“Emily went down and someone was looking after her I tell you, because it would have been a rotational fall and the horse had just missed her.

“Mike was trying to get over the track because he thought it was more serious than it turned with regard to Emily.

The stewards grabbed him and said, wait, we’ll take you over.

“By the time he got to her she was sitting up in the ambulance I think.. She said something like ‘dad, it’s not my first fall’ kinda thing. She must have seen how white she was.

He joked afterwards that he said he could have grabbed her by the throat, because of the fright and stress she had given him.

“You just worry, fear the worst when something happens and you are just so relieved when there are no serious consequences. She was ok after that fall.

“She has been very fortunate and hopefully it stays that way, but the worry never goes away.”

BEING PROUD

“We have, as I said, a really tight family and we are all there for Em. It’s a big family involvement.

“If Em can’t get me on the phone she can call her brother. Her sister Kate is there 24/7. Kate is allergic to horses. All the horsey people in our world and Kate is allergic to them.

“We are all coming down to the races in Brisbane on Saturday to celebrate Em’s achievement.

“Lastly, all I can say is just watching Emily … not only her riding, but the way she conducts herself … the way she talks to owners and trainers .., the way she cares about people … we are just so proud of her.

“We are so lucky. She is a really good kid.”

EARLIER RELATED ATRICLES

WHAT A WEEKEND! EMILY LANG BLASTS HER WAY ONTO THE RIDING SCENE

EMILY LANG LANDS A LANDMARK VICTORY AS HER ALREADY SUCCESSFUL SEASON GETS EVEN BETTER

EMILY LANG'S BRIGHT START TO THE NEW SEASON

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