Thirty-six years after beginning his race riding career, Larry Cassidy’s appetite for success is undiminished.
Fresh off a feature race win aboard Kubrick in the Bernborough on Boxing Day, Cassidy has already followed up with two more winners since then, scoring on Savagol (at the Sunshine Coast on Monday) and Cameros (at Ipswich on Wednesday) … helping both of those horses shed their Maiden status.
All three of those winners were produced by the Chris Waller stable and Cassidy will be looking to extend that stable run when he partners the four-year-old Zoustar mare Kiku for Waller in The Magic Millions the Buffering at Doomben on Saturday, where the winner gains a ballot exemption into the Magic Millions Cup.
Kiku is a lightly raced four-year-old (twelve starts for four wins, two seconds and three thirds). A winner of the Group 3 Carbine Stakes over 1600m back in April, Kiku will be resuming after being given a freshen up following her run in the Group 1 Empire Rose on October 30 (where she finished unplaced but only 2.95 lengths back).
Cassidy will also align himself with the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable on Saturday. He rides Navy Cross in the Magic Millions Shootout and the debut winner Celestial Spirit who will contest the third race on the card.
Cassidy’s mount in the Magic Millions Vo Rogue Plate is one that could fly under the radar.
The Kelly Schweida trained Miss Hipstar carried brilliant speed as two-year-old. The daughter of Star turn won her first two starts and then won the Listed Dalrello Stakes at the start of his second preparation.
This will be her fourth run this time in. Her last two starts were in feature races where she did little wrong when finishing third in the Mode Stakes, just 1.25 lengths off Rhapsody Rose, and then unplaced in the Gold Edition, when just 2.25 lengths behind Me Me Lagarde. To put that run in perspective, it should be noted that Me Me Lagarde is in the betting for the $2 million Magic Millions Three-Year-old Guineas.
“The last start (at Eagle Farm) I think the track was a bit too firm for her,” said Cassidy. “Provided the track doesn’t get too wet on Saturday … which, at this stage it is not … she is really going to appreciate that.
“She hasn’t won past 1100m. The last couple of starts we have ridden her a little bit conservatively instead of with speed. We are going to do that again on Saturday to see if she can stretch out to a journey … to the 1350m at least anyway.
“Her work has been good since that last run. She is drawn nicely enough where we can hopefully give her a cosy passage so that she has the opportunity to hit the line well.
“Going forward that is something she needs to learn how to do because if she just carried on going hell for leather in front all of the time, she would just be a sitting duck. She has sort of shown if she goes up there on the speed, going quick in fast run races, she can’t seem to run the extended journey out.
‘We are looking to try and change that. I think it definitely worked second up (in the Mode Stakes) and the other day she was also good, but the track was too firm for her.”
“Things have been going well for me lately. To be picking up rides for interstate trainers is great. I hope to keep the success going with the Chris Waller stable.
“I’ve ridden a number of winners for Gai Waterhouse in my time, a lot of Group 1’s as well, so it would be nice to put another winner on the board for her on Saturday … and I’ll also be doing all I can to salute for the local trainers.”
Cassidy last throw at the stumps on Saturday will be in the Listed Nudgee Stakes aboard the smart, consistent mare Kisukano in the last race on the card.
The task here against the likes of Isotope and Jamaea is a formidable one, as reflected by Kisukano’s current odds of $29, but the certainty here is that both the game Kisukano and the ever determined Cassidy are not going to die wondering.
