Age: 25
Principal Trainer: David Simcock,
Notable Wins: John Smith's Cup (Wigmore Hall 2010), Boylepoker.com Premier Handicap (Philario 2009)
Martin Lane made steady progress during the early years of his career when based with Frances Crowley on the Curragh, but since moving to England in 2009, he has become established as one of the most promising riders around, with him being crowned Champion Apprentice in 2010 and already having ridden over 100 winners since moving there.
Early Days
Originally from Kilworth in Co. Cork, Lane grew up riding National Hunt horses and when he was 18, he began to work for the Curragh-based trainer Frances Crowley with the intention being to ride on the Flat until his increasing weight necessitated a switch to the National Hunt game. However, once he got going, his weight was never really an issue on the Flat.
Lane had his first ride on the racecourse on a horse of Crowley’s called Oberon’s Dream in a handicap at Killarney on July 14th 2004 and 10 more rides that year provided a solid start to his career. Lane didn’t waste any time in getting off the mark in 2005, riding the Bernard Lawlor-trained Tango Step to success in an apprentice handicap at Navan on April 16th. It proved to be a strong second season for Lane, as he went on to ride three more winners to give him a total of four wins from 100 rides in 2005.
The next two seasons saw Lane consolidate the standard he had set in 2005, maintaining his strike rate whilst increasing his workload all the time. All told, in the 2006 and 2007 seasons, Lane rode a total of 14 winners from 318 rides. Unfortunately for him, Frances Crowley didn’t perform to her usual standards in 2008 and that fact contributed to Lane riding just three winners from 130 rides that season. Lane was left with a big decision to make in early 2009, as Crowley unexpectedly decided to hand in her license to train. After consulting with his agent and others, Lane decided to move to England to take up a position with Karl Burke. It was a decision that would prove to be the most pivotal of his career.
To England
Many young Irish jockeys have made the same journey to further their careers in England and while not all of them succeed, it was evident from an early stage that Martin Lane was going to make a very bold bid to do so. He wasted no time in getting off the mark in England, riding the Burke-trained Sign Of Approval to success in a maiden at Wolverhampton on February 23rd 2009. From then on, Lane steadily built up a rapport with a number of trainers, but his first big-race win came back on his native soil, as he returned to the Curragh to ride the Burke-trained Philario to win the valuable Boylepoker.com Premier Handicap on Irish 2,000 Guineas day. That win did his confidence no harm at all and while he had a setback when his boss Karl Burke was warned off for a year in July, the winners continued to flow through the summer months. Lane finished his first full year in England with a notable flourish, riding no less than 10 winners in the month of October to give him a grand total of 29 wins from 391 rides. It was a very promising first campaign in England, but better still would be forthcoming in 2010.
A Championship Campaign
Now associated with the up-and-coming David Simcock yard, Lane made a solid start to the 2010 campaign and steadily increased his strike rate as spring turned to summer. In July, Lane rode what was unquestionably his break-out winner, riding the Michael Bell-trained Wigmore Hall to a short-head success in the highly-valuable John Smith's Cup at York. Such a high-profile win did wonders for Lane’s profile and it wasn’t long after that that it became apparent that Lane had serious prospects of being a competitor in the race for the title of Champion Apprentice. That prospect saw Lane raise his game even further and an avalanche of winners followed, with him riding no less than 10 winners during September. He continued that form into October and reached a notable milestone when riding out his claim by winning on Captain Royale at Pontefract on October 19th. Just 24 hours later, Lane picked up a four-day whip ban, but that did little to stall his momentum and with a strong finish to the season, he claimed the prestigious title of Champion Apprentice by a margin of four winners, having finished the turf season with 41 winners.
Reigning Champion
While many riders struggle in the season after losing their claim, Lane has continued in very much the same vein of form. Without a claim to look after, he was able to kick on during the winter months and he has maintained a remarkably consistent strike rate from January onwards. He is well on target to match his 2010 totals of winners and rides and this young man looks sure to establish himself as a fully-fledged jockey in the upper echelons of the British weighing room.
