Job has only just begun for Lane

AS newly crowned champion apprentice of Britain, jockey Martin Lane is enjoying a rare foray home to his native village of Kilworth in North Cork but the youngster is all the while acutely aware that, in career terms, the job has only just begun.

It’s been a tremendous year for Lane, whose tally of 41 successes was enough to see off the challenge of Galway born John Fahy, by four winners.

“I was just honoured to win the championship. I’ve had a long year mentally and physically so I’m just trying to take a few weeks off to chill out,” said the 25-year-old, who won the title as apprentice to the burgeoning stable of Group 1 winning trainer David Simcock. “It’s great to get home and celebrate with the family as I haven’t seen them all year.”

It’s been a demanding and sometimes emotional ride for the Corkman, who admits he had often thought about a change of direction.

“I’ve had plenty of hiccups and I’ve thought about packing it in more than once but thankfully I didn’t. I have Kevin O’Ryan and Ger Lyons to thank for that. They told me to give it a go in England and they’re the ones that got me in touch with Karl Burke and It’s gone from strength to strength.

“The move to Newmarket (to David Simcock’s stables) is the best I’ve ever made but the victory aboard Wigmore Hall in the John Smyth’s Cup at York was by far my most enjoyable success of the season.

“It was the biggest race of the meeting and it was a memorable day for me because it was my mother’s birthday and she was the one who brought me to riding lessons when I was young, and brought me to work every morning.

“Sadly, she passed away nearly seven years ago and to ride a winner like that on her birthday was quite emotional. It was just a brilliant day all round. I couldn’t have asked for better.”

Without question, the most difficult time in a jockey’s career is that transitional period between losing their claim and making the breakthrough as a fully fledged professional and that’s precisely the position in which Lane now finds himself. Not quite a no-man’s land but certainly a form of purgatory from which the only positive exit requires talent allied to much hard work and a large slice of luck.

Lane is hoping that winning the apprentice title might help to boost his profile and readily acknowledges that agent Simon Dodds has been pivotal to his success.

“Simon’s a very intelligent agent. He’s had three champion apprentices in the last four years: myself, William Buick and Greg Fairley. I could probably have done the best part of losing my claim last year but he said ‘no-one will know who you are by the end of it’.

“Because Frederick Tylicki and David Probert had the ammunition last year, there wouldn’t have been anything about it. It would just have been another winner to everyone else, whereas this year I was in front in the championship when I rode out my claim so it got a bit of publicity.”

Intermittently interrupting himself to reiterate just how much an honour he realises it is to have been crowned champion, it’s quite evident that Lane is a focused individual with his sights already firmly fixed on next season and the challenges it will bring.

“We’re going to have to do a helluva lot of work next year — riding out for and making as many contacts as I can. I’m not going to say it’s easy when you have a claim because I struggled for six and a half years to lose it but you always have something to fall back on.

“Trainers will always be looking for someone to claim but when you’ve got no claim you’re the same as Ryan Moore and Frankie Dettori. You’re competing for the same spare rides as them and when you’re faced with that reality, it’s quite daunting.”

Daunting? Yes, but some time spent conversing with Lane reveals an intelligent and articulate youngster who, having settled so well in Britain, appreciates that his new address has provided the opportunity to make it this far, and he’s relishing the prospect of the even tougher task ahead.

“I love it here. It’s where my work is and it’s where I’m successful. All I want to do is go racing every day and living in England gives me the chance to do that, and I get a chance to ride good horses.

“I hope to continue my partnership with Mr Simcock into next year. He’s been very good to me. He’s most definitely an up and coming trainer — he had two Group 1 winners this year — and he’s on his way to big things so hopefully I can be part of it. We get on well and I love riding for him so I hope we continue into the future.”