Damian Lane knew he was aboard a special talent when he rode Seraphic Call to two impressive victories last year, but is grateful the rising dirt star seems to have improved his barrier manners since.
“I thought straight away when I won on him at his second start that he could get to the top level,” Lane said.
“But one thing about him was that he was difficult to get out of the barriers, he was hopeless at his first few starts and he would just walk out of the barriers. He has been able to hold some sort of race position at his last few starts, which you just have to be able to do in good races. His starts are probably the only tricky thing about him but otherwise he is sensible.”
Lane reunites with Seraphic Call in the JPN G1 Teio Sho at Oi Racecourse on Wednesday night in a race where the lightly raced four-year-old gets a chance to prove the Australian jockey’s early predictions to be correct.
After Seraphic Call’s impressive debut at Hanshin in February 2023, Lane rode trainer Ryo Terashima’s stable star to victory at his second and third starts, leaving a strong impression.
“He won so well at his first start and then when I won on him at Kyoto, he was back and looped the field and he just ran away from them,” Lane said. “Horses just can’t sustain those types of runs unless they are really good horses. He was very green doing it. He just fell in when he won at Tokyo and he was still pretty raw.
“I have followed his career since then and I always thought he would get to this level. He hasn’t quite proved himself at top level yet, but he is certainly on his way.”
As the key to victory on Wednesday, Lane says that Seraphic Call can no longer just rely on natural talent at this level and a quick start and good race position will be critical – especially on the speedy 2000m circuit at Oi.
“Obviously it can be difficult if horses get back in the kickback but at that top level, on any surface, if you get too far back and are giving away two or three lengths at the start, then you have to be even better than exceptional to win. But Seraphic Call looks like he has improved his starts and I hope he can be even better this time.”
Lane, now 30 and with a global CV of wins that is the envy of many jockeys his senior, has shown a great ability to adapt to different jurisdictions. His ability to adapt to dirt racing is even more impressive, given sand and dirt tracks are rare in Australia and Lane’s previous experience on them had been limited to early in his career on the arid tracks of his native Western Australia.
“I rode on some sand tracks very early on, in those first 200 rides, but not very much at all and it is certainly different. You have to adapt,” said Lane, who won the 2019 Teio Sho on Omega Perfume.
“First, you need to work out very quickly whether or not a horse can handle kickback – a lot of horses don’t and if they end up behind they don’t want to gallop in the kickback. Some horses do, some horses it doesn’t bother them, so there are some different factors compared to turf. It is also beneficial to be handy if you can.”
Lane returns to Australia on Thursday and will attempt to win his first Victorian Metropolitan Jockeys’ Premiership, which he currently leads by 14 wins to Blake Shinn with just over one month remaining in the Australian season.
Finishing top three in the premiership will qualify Lane for the right to apply for Japan racing Association (JRA) short-term licenses for the two years following his win (effectively until July 1, 2026).
A win in the premiership would be a dream come true for Lane, joining some of the greatest names in racing history, including fellow Western Australian Damien Oliver.
Lane said that not being qualified to ride during the classic season in Japan, as he has in recent years, gave him a chance to focus on winning the premiership at home.
“I have finished second twice in the premiership and winning a Melbourne premiership is something that I have always wanted to have on my CV,” he said.
