Lane’s sights on grand slam
Jockey Damian Lane is shooting to become the first rider to win Australia’s grand slam in a calendar year after claiming Saturday’s Cox Plate on Lys Gracieux.
No jockey has won a Golden Slipper, Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup in the same year, but Lane has the first three to his name, the past two coming in consecutive Saturday meetings.
Lane, 25, won the Slipper on Godolphin’s Kiamichi in the autumn before heading over to Japan on a two-month riding stint where he built an affinity with Mer De Glace and Lys Gracieux, who he partnered to win the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate, respectively.
He’ll ride Mer De Glace in the Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday of November in an attempt to become the first jockey to win the grand slam.
‘‘Unbelievable. To grow up as a racing fan watching this race and watching my idols win this race, to now be on the honour roll is such a privilege,’’ Lane said after Saturday’s Cox Plate victory.
‘‘The pace was a lot stronger than I thought it would be to the first corner. I just rode her back. She got a bit keen when the pace came out of the race but, gee, I was confident once I got her out down the straight.
‘‘She probably didn’t get around the track too well but was just too good anyway.’’
Lys Gracieux, invited by the Moonee Valley Racing Club to compete, pocketed a $2 million bonus on top of the $3 million top prize for winning the Group I Takarazuka Kinen in June.
She will fly back to Japan on the Monday before the Melbourne Cup and target the 2500-metre Group I Arima Kinen on December 22, won by champions such as
Kitasan Black (2017), Orfevre (2011, 2013) and Deep Impact (2006).
Three-year-old Castelvecchio, second in the Cox Plate, will head to the paddock after consecutive Group I runner-up efforts.
‘‘He’s a very, very good horse,’’ trainer Richard Litt said.
‘‘We haven’t had the best of preps with him. We’ve fiddled around at different distances, knowing that he will stay but also really wanting to have a go at a Golden Rose. That’s no problem, we did that, we realise what we’ve got to do now.
‘‘He’s got a very exciting autumn ahead.’’
Despite being a colt, Litt said racing fans could expect to see Castelvecchio race on and potentially return for next year’s Cox Plate.
‘‘Wow, he was so awesome in defeat,’’ jockey Craig Williams said. ‘‘He got into a nice rhythm, travelled inside the 600 [metre mark], he towed me there so I thought ‘well, we’ll see if the Japanese mare’s form is as good as suggested’. Unfortunately she was, but wow. He’s going to be a star of our carnivals to come.’’
New Zealander Te Akau Shark and Aidan O’Brien-trained import Magic Wand filled in the first four, while jockey Anthony Darmanin was full of praise for his mare Mystic Journey, who battled on for fifth.
However, international raiders Kluger and Danceteria disappointed to finish second last and last, respectively.
Jamie Spencer, jockey on Danceteria, said his horse didn’t handle the track, while Tommy Berry said Kluger didn’t travel well at any stage.