LARRY'S VIEW - THE DOUBLE WAS A GOOD RESULT BUT THE HARD WORK IS JUST BEGINNING

By Larry Cassidy | Friday, February 10, 2012

Larry Cassidy currently has forty-two Group 1 successes behind his name. He is a multiple Premiership winning jockey having taken out three titles in Sydney and one in Brisbane. Larry’s View, the personal blog of this top class rider will appear on horseracingonly.com.au every Friday, workload permitting.

My double on Saturday with Havatryst and Thefifthhole was a really good result so early in my comeback, but I still have a lot of work to do to get back to where I want to be.

Another week on and I am making good progress.

I was on a strict detox diet from Monday to Wednesday. It is a fruit diet. I could only eat fruit … as much as I want … and I couldn’t have anything else. I couldn’t even drink anything. Nothing … no water even … nothing. You get your fluid from the fruit.

It hasn’t been as tough as I thought it would be. I think lemon detox is tougher because you’ve got no food. It’s all fluid.

Now for the next step. I’ve spoken to Ron Johnson. He is coming up to live with me for maybe two weeks. He’s trained all the jockeys … like Nash, and all of them, just to strip them down.

After Saturday I thought I was probably eighty percent fit, but I realized afterwards that I was probably only about seventy percent fit. I’d already organized for Ron to come up. I wasn’t quite sure if he was going to be able to get here, but he arrived Wednesday, so it’s just perfect timing.

He trains you in a particular way and puts you on a diet that strips you right down. If it all works out well he could possibly even strip me down to the lightest I have ever been.

This is something I have thought about since the fall. It had to do with sitting around. I had a lot of time to think. I ran a lot of things through my head and decided what I wanted to do when I came back.

A lot of my plans obviously depended on what the outcome was at QCAT. With that decision coming down in my favour I’ve been able to put all of that behind me.

I have a very clear mind now, so it’s a good time to have Ron here to help push me to the next level and to help take me where I want to be.

I do train very well by myself. I do have that discipline, but this is a bit different. It’s probably going to teach me something I didn’t know about a different diet and probably a better diet. Also, it’s something, once I learn, I can implement it myself.

I only had one ride on Wednesday (at 57.5kg) because Ron said to me, don’t take any light rides for the next ten days because you usually put on weight first and then it comes off. I could have had two other rides, but they were at 54kg and Ron said, I don’t want you getting in the sauna. We got to do it naturally.

As I said, I’m hoping it is going to lift me to the next level. The important point is that things are so clear in my head now, I know it is going to work.

I have been restricted on the number of rides I could take at a meeting since I returned, but, from today, I have a full clearance to take as many rides as I like. I do have rides at 54kg on Saturday and I’m hoping to get away with that at this stage.

Everybody talks about this being a confidence game and the double last Saturday was obviously a massive boost to my confidence.

There is probably a subtle variation of what the term means to different riders. To me it comes down to the fact that when you are confident you are more relaxed. When you are more relaxed you ride better. When you are riding confidently things seem to happen for you in a race. You can always seem to do something, even if something happens right in front of you. It just builds from there.

Leading up to my fall I think I was so down inconfidence. I was mentally messed up in my head. I was beside myself with all the things that were going on, so, in that respect, the fall probably came at a great time.

Apart from clearing my head, it allowed me to have a great time with my family at a fantastic time of the year and helped get me moving in the right direction.

Now I feel I can get back to where I was before … and better.

My first few rides back in my first week … they were ordinary form horses. I gave them every chance. Then I got on a couple of better performed horses and the results arrived, so I’m pleased the way things are going.

And it is really good getting back and being able to play to my strengths. I just seem to have an affinity with certain types of ‘problem’ horses. It’s a part of the challenge I really enjoy.

Thefifthhole is a case in point. He is not an easy ride, but he is a lovely horse. I really like him and we get on well. I’m unbeaten on him in three starts.

Another horse in that category is Jasminka. She’s been really naughty lately and they can’t get her to start. She can be an absolute cow, but she still is one of my favourite horses. She’ll try and aggravate you … test you, but she will never intentionally try to hurt you. She is just naughty.

I’m back on her on Saturday. I rode her in a barrier trial. I’m not saying she’s not going to be a cow, but I’ve had success on her before … I’ve just got something with those sort of horses.

So, the bottom line then is I have a plan. I’m excited about implementing it and I’ve got renewed motivation about what I want to achieve.

Like I’ve said before, the fall was a blessing in disguise.

Till next week,
Larry

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