Lane pins hopes on four

South West trainer Michael Lane is hoping today’s meet at the Bunbury Turf Club will continue his stable’s good start to the season.

Lane has four starts, including three maidens, while promising six-year-old bay gelding Real Icon will return after an almost five-month spell.

Capel-based jockey Kate Witten will take the ride to bring down the weight in the $17,500 Donna Brown Handicap (1000m).

Lane said the 1000m might be too short for the gelding, but he was using the ride as a trial.

“I put him in the 1000m race hoping he gets a place,” he said.

“He trialled good the other day.”

Real Icon has three career wins from 14 starts, with two over the 1200m and the other over 1216m.

Champion jockey William Pike will take the saddle for Lane aboard Top Of The Class in the $15,000 XXXX Summer Bright Maiden (1200m).

With Jarrad Noske taking the week off, Pike will take the three-year-old chestnut filly first up, having won a trial in Bunbury last month.

Lane said Top Of The Class had a bit of promise.

“From barrier 10 she might end up back of the field,” he said.

On Thursday the Lane-trained Marjesden broke through for a maiden win in the first race at Narrogin in its 11th start.

The five-year-old gelding took out the $12,500 Narrogin Racing Cafe Maiden (1190m), with jockey Aaron Mitchell in the saddle.

Marjesden started the race slowly, sitting last and wide, but managed to come up on the inside to be third by the corner, getting into the clear on the straight and winning by half a length.

It was only the second time Marjesden has started under the guidance of Lane, having moved from the Paul Hunter stables.

Lane said he was pleased with the win.

“It is good for the owners,” he said.

“Being a six-horse race I was confident he would have a good run.”

Lane said despite the win they were not getting “too far ahead of ourselves”.

The $19 outsider debuted in 2014 in Mount Barker, with a previous best result of sixth in Albany later that year.

He finished fourth in a trial last month after a three-month spell.