In-form jockey Jim Cassidy is eyeing off back to back Group 1 wins with Dissident in Saturday’s $500,000 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) at Rosehill.
Jim Cassidy and Dissident looking for back to back G1 wins after winning the Royal Randwick Guineas, above. Photo by Steve Hart.
And the evergreen Cassidy could make it three Saturdays in a row in the Group 1 winner’s stall after a courageous front running ride on Steps In Time to win last Saturday’s $600,000 Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill.
Cassidy was seen at his utmost best in winning on the Peter Moody trained Dissident in the Group 1 $600,000 Royal Randwick Guineas (1600m) at Randwick last Saturday week.
After being headed in the straight by Kiwi colt El Roca who looked like going on to win, Cassidy was able to lift Dissident under hard riding to gain the upper hand and get the judge’s decision by a nose.
The veteran jockey has struck up a great association with Dissident with pair lining up for a hat trick of wins after winning the Group 2 $200,000 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on March 1.
And the ever confident Cassidy can see the Sebring colt as the one to beat again stepping up to the 2000m.
“I believe in myself, I believe in my own ability, and I believe in the ability of the horses I’m riding,” Cassidy told The Daily Telegraph.
“I think Dissident is the horse to beat on Saturday. He’s going up a notch all the time, and he’s tough, he’s learning to dig deep, which he did in the Hobartville Stakes and Randwick Guineas, and I think he’ll have no problems running 10 furlongs.
“He’s a bit like me — he gets off the canvas when the times get tough.’’
Cassidy collected his one hundred and second Group 1 win with his breath taking ride on Steps In Time and is closing in on the late Roy Higgins, who rode one hundred and eight at the elite level and George Moore who recorded one hundred and nineteen.
And Cassidy said that the chase in on to challenge those two champion jockeys of the past.
“Oh yeah, without a doubt. I’ll be giving it my best shot. It would be a great achievement, and hopefully I can equal Roy, or who knows, maybe get past him.’’
Cassidy is also thanking his lucky stars that he is able to ride at the Rosehill Guineas meeting on Saturday after collecting two careless riding suspensions last week.
He was suspended for four meetings resulting from as incident at Newcastle last Wednesday which commenced on Sunday March 23 until midnight on March 28, enabling him to ride on Saturday.
Then his second careless suspension from the Warwick Farm meeting last Thursday begins on March 30 until midnight on April 5, forcing Cassidy to miss Golden Slipper Day at Rosehill.
Cassidy has also picked up the ride on Eurozone for Bart and James Cummings in the Group 1 $1m George Ryder Stakes (1500m), replacing Glen Boss who finished third to Dissident in the Randwick Guineas on the Northern Meteor colt.
“He raced up to win the other day, but I think the 1500m at Rosehill will really suit him,’’ Cassidy said.
