With Brent Zerafa

Superstar jockey Damian Lane will be there to complete the Grand Slam of Australian racing when he rides Kovalica in the Melbourne Cup next Tuesday.

Lane won the Golden Slipper, Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate in 2019, but the Cup remains the missing piece of the majors’ puzzle.

Kovalica heads to the first Tuesday in November after finishing sixth at Cox Plate last weekend.

“I think he ran well on Saturday, the Cox Plate is obviously a really good entry race and it was a solid achievement for him,” Lane said.

“I can’t wait to tackle him on Tuesday.”

Lane will ride the Chris Waller-trained Group 1 winner at lightweight 53.5kg, but he is well prepared to ride at that weight.

“You kind of work all year to be the fittest and lightest at this time of year in case something happens,” he said.

“He’s obviously at the bottom of my weight range, but I’m ready to roll.”

In a year where the top Cup weight will carry between 55.5 and 56kg, several leading riders will not be involved in the race due to the number of lightweights, with Racing Victoria ruling out the possibility of increasing the weights .

Lane hopes the situation will be revisited before next year’s spring carnival.

“It’s not ideal, far from ideal, it’s frustrating, especially when until now the weights were never going to change,” he said.

“It just limits the options for a lot of jockeys, a lot of jockeys in our top 20. It’s a shame there aren’t more of our good riders in the race, in our biggest race, but it’s that’s how it is for now.

“Hopefully next year we will see a change, but for now this is what we have to deal with.”

WATCH: Kovalica in the Cox Plate

Before Cup Day, Lane will be in action at Flemington for Victoria Derby Day on Saturday.

The Western Australian-born rider will retain the mount on Politely Dun in the Derby, having guided him to fourth place in the Moonee Valley Vase last week.

“He ran well on Saturday,” Lane said.

“He came back in a very slow race, he was beaten in the sprint, so we’re looking forward to taking him up to 2,500m, we think it’s going to be good for him, we’ve thought that all along. “

Lane will also ride Gatsby’s in the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes and got a feel for the Waller-trained galloper Friday morning during a show jump.

“He had blinders on and they really sharpened him,” Lane said.

“I’m really looking forward to riding him, I think he can improve on Saturday.”