In the fast Lane
A stint in Japan will offer Damian Lane a shot at some of the best prizemoney in the world and the chance to connect with the nation's formidable Melbourne Cup contenders, but for Damian Lane an upcoming trip is less about money as it is learning new skills – both in life and in the saddle – as he follows the well-worn path of many top Australian jockeys.
Lane, who added to his group 1 resume and continued to build an association with Godolphin by winning last month's Golden Slipper on Kiamichi, will be based out of Miho Training Centre outside Tokyo and has applied to ride for nearly two months in Japan – from April 27 to June 23 – a period that includes some of the country's biggest races and a five-week stretch with a group 1 on each weekend."Hong Kong really opened my eyes to how many different styles there are when it comes to training and riding racehorses," Lane said this week. "But most of all it was a great life experience for me. I hadn't done that much travelling and I want that challenge again, I think it helped me as a person.
"We probably live in a bubble here in Australia, we think our way is the best way and that is just the way it is. But you go to a place where there are so many nationalities meeting and nearly every day you see something different that makes you say 'wow, I didn't know you could do that.'
''After that I thought I would love to get to more countries and see how things are done elsewhere. I would love to do some other stops after this, including stints in Europe and other places."The day he (Weir) got time I was quite sad," Lane said. "He has been a big part of my career. At first, everything goes on as normal because the connections keep you on those horses, but you wonder how long that will last. The Slipper win was at a good time, as it would be nice to have somebody like (trainer) James Cummings in your corner."
Some were surprised at Lane's lack of emotion after winning the Slipper, especially given it was the first of the "big four" majors he has clinched. Lane puts it down to a lack of expectation, the fact Kiamichi was, at 25-1 and the least-favoured of Godolphin's seven runners. Regardless, the jockey's father Michael, a former jockey and now trainer his son describes as "an old-school, hard arse from the country", more than made up for it with an emotional interview from Perth later that day.
Posted: Tue, June 04, 2019