SAFE PASSAGE HIGHLIGHTS LANE DOUBLE

Three-year-old filly Safe Passage produced a spirited on-pace efforts to win on Wednesday at Sandown Hillside and assist Damian Lane in claiming riding honours at the meeting with a double.

Safe Passage overcame mares in the $50,000 Ladbrokes Easy Form Handicap (1300m) at Benchmark 64 level, while Lane's other winner was aboard Parure  (1600m) in a three-year-olds Benchmark 70 event.

The pair show black type potential, particularly the Danny O'Brien-trained Safe Passage ($2.70 favourite) who raced three wide without cover and found plenty under pressure to win her third race from five starts in surviving the late closing effort of Don'ttelltheboss ($11).

"She's got quality and I think she's the sort of horse that will run better in better races where the tempo is stronger and she has better horses to follow," Lane said.

"It hasn't worked out twice in a row. The position we were in was going to be okay when we were going steady but when the tempo lifted from the 800-metre mark, it really took her out of her comfort zone so I thought she was really tough. When the other horses got to her she really found again.

"She has more improvement to come. She beat the older horses last start and she's beaten the mares today with 60kg so hopefully she can continue to take the right steps and keep winning races."

Any black type will add considerable value to Safe Passage who was purchased for $380,000 from the 2019 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. The daughter of Snitzel is out of unraced Deep Impact mare Travessia, who is a half-sister to 2000 Santa Anita Derby winner The Deputy and 2004 Japanese Derby winner King Kamehameha.

King Kamehameha died in August 2019, but left a legacy at stud as the sire of Rulership and Lord Kanaloa, the latter being the sire of last year's Blue Diamond Stakes winner Tagaloa for Ozzie Kheir, whom is also a part-owner in Safe Passage.

Jamie Kah's 16-win lead at the top of the Melbourne Jockeys' Premiership reduced to 14 following the eight-race card at Sandown Hillside with Lane riding 38 winners on the metropolitan circuit this season.

Story by Carl Di Iorio for Racing.com

Pic by Racing Photos