by Frank Salive, for Western Fair Raceway

London, ON — A common theme has developed for the Monday and Tuesday programs in 2008 at Western Fair Raceway. The out of town drivers are invading London en masse.

“I really look forward to Monday evenings in London because I get to drive some nice horses and you have to show up with your best game face on,” says 36-year-old reinsman Mike Langdon. He makes the weekly trek over to London from his home in Ancaster, Ontario and is on the verge of surpassing 1,200 wins and C$9 million in driving purses, in addition to training a small stable racing at Flamboro Downs.

“I just got back to Canada last September after 15 months back in Australia,” Langdon explains with his unmistakeable down under turn of phrase and accent. “I was training a stable back there along with scouting and selling horses but it was impractical to catch drive because of the long distances involved. I’m originally from New Zealand but my family moved over to Australia about 12 years ago. They think I’m quite mad to be here driving horses through the Canadian winter but I’ve been on a good roll since I came back. When things are going well I don’t mind about the weather one bit.”

From seven scheduled drives on the Monday evening card in London, Langdon has the morning line favorites in the first (Meadowview Sunny), sixth (Speakin Greek), and 12th (Are You Pan Enough).

Meadowview Sunny, a lifetime winner of C$711,000, hasn’t competed on a half-mile track since June of 2004. Prior to that he was an Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series competitor with half-mile track runner-up finishes at Flamboro in August of 2003, and the winner of a C$130,000 Gold Final at the former Elmira Raceway as a 2-year-old on August 5, 2002.

“He’s such a lovely gaited horse — I’d doubt very much that he’s suddenly forgotten how to get around a half-mile track,” Langdon says. “I know (trainer) Brad Shakes usually has him out on their half-mile training track up near Collingwood and for these couple winter months he’s been stabled here in Southern Ontario.

“As for the other two favorites I’ve got on Monday evening, Speakin Greek in the sixth race loves to race out front and with post two that’s likely where I’ll try to be. Are You Pan Enough in the 12th race is taking huge class relief. He won the Preferred-2 class in London last November from the front so that’s what I might be inclined to try there too.”

The only driver busier than Langdon on the Monday night card in London will be the track’s 2006 dash and cash champion Brad Forward, who is slated for duty in every race. Forward, along with Flamboro’s Scott Coulter and Woodbine’s Jason Brewer, also have several mounts each on the upcoming Tuesday afternoon program. Brewer was the London track’s 2007 driving champ before changing his focus to the Toronto circuit this year.

Post time at Western Fair each Monday and Friday is 7:35 p.m. and each Tuesday at 4:05 p.m. Monday post time moves to 4:05 p.m. on April 7.