Wine Dark Sea impresses Damian Lane ahead of Caulfield Cup bid

It's a familiar sight to see Damian Lane partnering with international gallopers in the Spring Carnival's major races, but this Saturday's Caulfield Cup sees a change of rider for the overseas contender.

The in-form jockey is set to ride the English stayer Wine Dark Sea in the 150th running of the prestigious Group 1 handicap, which carries a substantial $6 million in prize money this year.

Lane is looking to add another Caulfield Cup to his impressive resume, having previously captured the 2400-metre event aboard the Japanese entire Mer De Glace back in 2019.

He also enjoyed success that same year, winning the Cox Plate with another Japanese import, Lys Gracieux, and has since been a regular partner for many horses from Japan in the major spring races.

This weekend will be the first time he rides a UK-trained horse in the Caulfield Cup, and he is eager to link up with the Harry Charlton-prepared 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," Lane explained. "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 Caulfield Cup will be the 11th start for Wine Dark Sea, a Northern Hemisphere four-year-old. His last run was a convincing 1-1/2-length victory in the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes (2671m) at Newbury on August 15.

This was Wine Dark Sea's inaugural Stakes race and marked his third triumph in four outings during 2026.

Lane made the journey to Werribee last Thursday to get acquainted with the gelding, who has been in Australia since late last month, and reported positively on his initial findings.

"First impressions were good," Lane confirmed. "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 currently sits at $7 on the Caulfield Cup betting boards, second favourite behind the dominant Turnbull Stakes winner Cosmic Crusader ($4.50), whose entry was confirmed last week.

"Cosmic Crusader was not very welcome news, I would prefer he's not there," Lane remarked. "But I did think the race lacked a little bit of depth this year and it would be a good chance for someone like a Wine Dark Sea."

Lane also has the first option on Wine Dark Sea for this year's Melbourne Cup, with a final decision pending after this Saturday's race.

Wine Dark Sea is set to carry 54.5kg in the Caulfield Cup, for which the field will be finalised on Tuesday morning, and 56kg in the Melbourne Cup.

This could signal the end of Lane's Spring Carnival as a Melbourne-based jockey, as he pursues his ambition to be licensed in Japan, where he has spent time on short-term contracts over recent years.

The Western Australian hoop announced last week that he had successfully navigated the first phase of the licensing application, with another examination scheduled for January.

"Riding in Japan on a more permanent basis has been an ambition of mine for some time," Lane stated in a release following the exam results. "While the chance of receiving a JRA licence is exciting, my immediate focus is on Australian racing and achieving the best possible results this spring carnival."

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