WA product Damian Lane will return home for the ride on topweight Gatting in Saturday’s $500,000 Perth Cup.

Lane is now one of Melbourne’s leading jockeys but has held a long ambition to win the G2 Perth Cup (2400m) at Ascot since he started his riding career as a local apprentice.

His parents still live in Perth with the 24-year-old returning home for the recent Ascot carnival where he rode Gatting for the first time in the G1 Railway Stakes

The WA Derby winner finished second behind Galaxy Star in the Railway Stakes. He topped off his preparation for the Perth Cup with a second to the same horse in the G2 Ted Van Heemst Stakes (2100m) at Ascot on December 22.

Lane is currently serving a suspension he incurred while riding at the Perth carnival. He returns to race riding on Saturday but will first spend the week in Melbourne honouring barrier trial and trackwork commitments.

Trainer Darren McAuliffe will remove the blinkers from Gatting in the Perth Cup on Lane’s recommendation.

Lane told McAuliffe Gatting pulled too keenly in the Van Heemst Stakes and would settle better without blinkers.

Gatting does not have to contend with Galaxy Star in the Perth Cup after owner Bob Peters decided to spell the mare after her Van Heemst Stakes win.

However Gatting has to carry 59kg and will concede between 4 and 6kg to his rivals that may include up to five other stayers owned by Bob Peters.

Peters, who has owned seven Perth Cup winners, is represented by Star Exhibit, Action, Mississippi Delta, Perfect Jewel and Royal Star.

The Grant and Alan Williams-trained Mississippi Delta beat stablemate Action in the ATA Stakes (2200m) at Ascot on Saturday, leaving champion jockey William Pike in a dilemma over his Perth Cup ride.

Chris Parnham rode Mississippi Delta in Saturday’s win with Pike aboard Action. Pike has the first choice of the Peters rides in the Cup and may switch mounts.

Parnham will then have the choice between the horse Pike rejects and another Williams-trained entry Perfect Jewel.

Clint Johnston-Porter will ride the fourth Williams entry Royal Star while Peter Hall is booked for the Adam Durrant-trained Star Exhibit.

Star Exhibit, the winner of the ATA Stakes-Perth Cup double in 2016 when the Cup was run on New Year’s Eve, finished fifth in the Van Heemst Stakes.

Star Exhibit (55kg) and Gatting are the only Perth Cup entries weighted above the 53kg limit.

Hall, who has won two Perth Cups on Black Tom (2006) and Delicacy (2016), also resumes from a suspension on Saturday.