Lane positive about Wine Dark Sea in Cup

MELBOURNE – It is not uncommon to see Australian jockey Damian Lane aboard Japanese-trained runners in Spring Carnival majors, but he has changed allegiances to another foreign country for the Caulfield Cup this year round.

On Oct 17, the gun rider will team with English stayer Wine Dark Sea in the 150th edition of the Group 1 feature, which carries A$6 million (S$5.36 million) in prizemoney this year.

Lane is chasing his second success in the 2,400m handicap. His previous victory came aboard the Hisashi Shimizu-trained Japanese entire Mer De Glace in 2019.

The Melbourne-based rider also won the 2019 Group 1 Cox Plate (2,040m) aboard another Japanese visitor, Lys Gracieux, and has ridden many from the Land Of The Rising Sun in the big spring features.

Saturday will be the first time Lane rides a UK-trained galloper in the Caulfield Cup, and he is excited about the Harry Charlton-trained son of Ulysses.

“He’s very much probably what we’re used to seeing from the English horses, in terms of he can get up on speed and he can sustain a good run from a long way out,” said Lane.

“That’s indicative of what we’ve seen in the English horses that come out here over the years, and hopefully that’s the case with him.”

The four-year-old galloper will be in his maiden Group 1 assignment, as well as his first start in Australia.

The Caulfield Cup will be his first-up run since a strong 1½-length win in the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes (2,700m) at Newbury on Aug 15. Among the beaten brigade then was globetrotting Group 1 champion Dubai Honour, who finished third.

That was also Wine Dark Sea’s first taste of Stakes success from 10 career starts, and his third win from four starts in 2026.

Lane made the trip to Werribee on Oct 8 to have his first feel of the gelding, who has been in Australia since late September, and liked what he felt.

“First impressions were good,” he said.

“He’s a very sensible horse. He seems to have settled in well, he moved well, he finished the work off well and there was nothing really negative to report.”

Wine Dark Sea owns the 6-1 second line of Caulfield Cup betting, behind only the dominant last-start Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2,000m) winner Cosmic Crusader (7-2), who was last week confirmed to be heading to the Caulfield Cup.

“(Having) Cosmic Crusader was not very welcome news, I would prefer he’s not there,” said Lane.

“But I did think the race lacked a little bit of depth this year and it would be a good chance for Wine Dark Sea.”

Lane also has first call on Wine Dark Sea in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3,200m) at Flemington on Nov 3, but said a final commitment would be made after this weekend’s race.

Wine Dark Sea carries 54.5kg in the Caulfield Cup, the field for which will be finalised on the morning of Oct 13, and 56kg in the Melbourne Cup.

This could be Lane’s last Spring Carnival as the champion hoop has been making progression in his quest to become licensed in Japan, where he has ridden on short-term contracts for the past few years.

The Western Australian announced last week that he had passed the first stage of the application process and has another exam to sit in January.

“Riding in Japan on a more permanent basis has been an ambition of mine for some time,” said Lane in a statement released after the examination results.

“While the chance of receiving a JRA (Japan Racing Association) licence is exciting, my immediate focus is on Australian racing and achieving the best possible results this spring carnival.” RACING AND SPORTS