If Bunbury trainer Michael Lane is a reflective person, he should look back on the past year of racing as having been a positive one.
Lane’s small but dedicated stable has met with success, and he can project ahead to the next 12-months with a healthy dose of optimism.
As the 2024-2025 racing season draws to a close at the end of July, The Boss Lady stood out and continued her role as Lane’s stable flag bearer.
The Boss Lady is a beauty and bookended her winter campaign with dual Group 3 wins in the Roma Cup (1100m) and Belmont Sprint (1400m).
A daughter of Street Boss, the quality four-year-old mare is sure to be a worthy Ascot carnival contender in a couple of months’ time.
Lane can explore more feature wins at Bunbury this weekend when Redback Flyer goes around as a strong hope in Saturday’s Listed Aquanita Stakes (2019m).
Lane needs another six winners to equal his output from last season, 10 behind his best ever after preparing 43 winners in 2019-2020.
As excellent as the year has been for Lane, he’s gladly taking a back seat with his son to take centre stage in WA racing's night of nights.
Damian Lane, the superstar jockey, will be inducted into the WA Racing Hall Of Fame at a gala function at Crown on August 23.
Lane will headline this year’s star-studded inductees including former jockey and trainer, Reg Treffone, champion stallion and 1971 Caulfield Guineas hero Beau Sovereign and Chairman Of Stewards, Jack Marks.
Lane said Damian is a worth addition to WA racing greats.
“I’m obviously proud of him-again,” Lane said on Tabradio.
“What he’s done, as we all know, is exceptional.
“From where he started to where he is at the moment.
“I’m sure there’s a lot more to come.
“I think he deserves it after how tough he had to do it early days.
“All credit to him and all the accolades he gets.
“He fly’s the flag for WA very proudly, that’s for sure.”
From his first ride on the red dirt at Roebourne to his first winner at Port Hedland, the boy from Bunbury has carved out a stellar career in the saddle.
He’s been involved as a winner in a host of Australia’s best races and secured international acclaim with multiple success in Hong Kong and Japan.
After leaving the comfort of home, Lane was satisfied his son had the makings to survive the cut and thrust of racing in the big league.
With courage, confidence, resilience, ambition and determination, Lane knew his boy had the character traits to be a high-class sportsman.
“I was expecting him to be a success, that’s the way he is and that’s the way he’s been taught,” Lane said.
“He had a few knockers when he went over, but I don’t think people knew how green he still was.
“He was like a green two-year-old who had a lot of improvement left in him.
“He’s always been the ultimate professional from day one.
“He had something different about him which I don’t think you can store in people.
“These elite sportsmen, which he is, have got that difference about them.
“Like a good horse they have something about them that is different from the rest.”
Redback Flyer meets a small but select field of six rivals in the Aquanita Stakes and from barrier two will have Chris Parnham as his riding pilot.
A Playing God gelding, he won three straight races in April and May and after a small let up he ran fourth to Opportunistic in the Belmont Guineas (1600m).
Lane said stepping up in distance will be the key to his winning prospects.
“We thought the 1600m was the shortest distance you wanted to start him over,” Lane said.
“He’s definitely looking for more ground.”
Julio Santarelli