Willie Lane

{{Short description|British jockey}} {{Use British English|date=April 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}} {{Infobox horseracing personality |name = Willie Lane |image = |caption = |occupation = Jockey |birth_place = |birth_date = 1883 |death_place = |death_date = 1920 |career wins = |race = '''British Classic Race wins as jockey:'''<br />1,000 Guineas (1904) <br />Epsom Oaks (1904) <br />St Leger Stakes (1904) |awards = British flat racing Champion Jockey (1902) |honours = |horses = Pretty Polly | }}

'''William "Willie" or "Wallie" Lane''' (1883–1920) was a British flat racing jockey.

He was the Champion Jockey of 1902, but is most commonly remembered for his feats riding the outstanding Pretty Polly, who in 1904 became only the fifth filly to win the British Fillies Triple Crown. Besides the Triple Crown, she also won the Coronation Stakes, Nassau Stakes and Park Hill Stakes.<ref name=NHM/>

Other races he won in his career include the St. James's Palace Stakes, Ascot Gold Cup, Norfolk Stakes, Gordon Stakes, Goodwood Cup, Yorkshire Oaks, Gimcrack Stakes and Doncaster Cup.<ref name=NHM/> Having achieved the Triple Crown, one of the rarest feats in racing, his career was cut short after a serious fall in a selling race at Lingfield. He died, aged 37, in 1920. Despite his short-lived career, he was still ranked at number 32 in the Racing Post's Top 50 jockeys of the 20th century.<ref name=RP50/>

Lane was the son of a jobmaster from Chelsea.<ref name=NHM/>

==Major wins== {{flagicon|Great Britain}} Great Britain

===Classic races=== * 1,000 Guineas – Pretty Polly (1904) * Oaks – Pretty Polly (1904) * St. Leger – Pretty Polly (1904)

==References== <references>

<ref name=NHM> {{cite web |url=http://www.horseracinghistory.co.uk/hrho/action/viewDocument?id=919 |title=Lane, William (1883–1920) |publisher=National Horseracing Museum |access-date=23 April 2013}}</ref>

<ref name=RP50> {{cite news |title=Richards is in a class of his own; A century of racing – 50 greatest flat jockeys|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Richards+is+in+a+class+of+his+own%3B+A+CENTURY+OF+RACING+-+50+GREATEST...-a060181484 |newspaper= The Racing Post |date=17 May 1999 |access-date=23 April 2013}}</ref>

</references>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lane, Willie}} Category:1883 births Category:1920 deaths Category:English jockeys Category:British Champion flat jockeys