A day after riding in two barrier trials, Larry Cassidy is sore but in a positive frame of mind.
Cassidy, the winner of 43 Group One races, hasn’t ridden in a race since June 8 last year when knee injuries caused by wear and tear from 30 years of riding got the better of them.
A multiple premiership-winning jockey in Sydney and Brisbane, Cassidy was determined to get back to race riding and has undergone more than a year of rehabilitation following surgery.
The 46-year-old’s last win was aboard Winx on May 29, 2015, in the 2015 Sunshine Coast Guineas, the beginning of the champion mare’s winning streak.
Cassidy returned to trackwork last month and had two rides at the Deagon trials on Tuesday.
“I am a little sore this morning but that was to be expected. The longest I had ever missed before was eight weeks and even then I lost a lot of leg strength,” Cassidy said.
“To be out for more than a year, well, I expected it to take time but it was still a shock.
“The first time I got on a horse to ride trackwork my legs were like jelly after 200 metres. I honestly thought I wouldn’t be able to complete the work.”
Cassidy said his knees were no longer sore while riding but did hurt when he dismounted.
He said he hoped to have his first ride back in a race at the end of August or early September.
“I would like to get as many barrier trials and jump-outs under my belt as I can. I plan to ride five in the Doomben jump-outs next week and go from there,” Cassidy said.
“It would be nice to have a comeback ride which was a winner whether that is at Ipswich, Doomben or Eagle Farm. But that is still five weeks away.”
