LARRY'S VIEW - NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HARD WORK

By Larry Cassidy | Friday, May 11, 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.

No matter what stage of your riding career you may be at, the only recipe to cook up even a semblance of success is to keep working hard. It has been said before, but let’s say it again. There is no substitute for hard work.

That’s what I’ll be all about this carnival.

Obviously not being involved with a big stable does make it very difficult for me to find a major success come carnival time.

I have been getting my fair share of winners lately and I believe I am riding as good as anyone.

In the provincial meetings, I have been getting half-decent rides. On the Saturday meetings I’ve been getting a full book, but the quality is not really there. If you are not on horses in the top tier on Saturdays it is very difficult to find winners in normal circumstances … and that is particularly true when the quality of the fields get better during carnival time. It gets that much harder to beat the better horses

If you are not associated with the big stables, which is the position I am in at the moment, the best you can do is keep riding well, stay in play and hope that you are in the right spot at the right time to pick up something good and then capitalize on that.

My agent works hard. He obviously chases rides for me himself. He may even call me and say, is it worth giving this person a call to see if we can get on so-and-so but, you simply can’t escape the fact that if you are not a with a high profile stable the carnival is a very difficult time for a rider.

There are obviously also a lot of southern riders coming up who ride for those top visiting stables so that option is also mostly closed.

All of this is not a complaint. That is the way it is. The way it has always been in fact and when you are not in the pound seats all you can do is keep going. You can’t let your head drop or you might miss an opportunity.

For example Chris Waller might ring if he’s got two or three in a race and I’m happy to take that call. So much of it is out of your hands though that, as I say, you only option is to keep working hard and believe that it will pay off along the way.

Things change very quickly in racing. You can be on the outer the one day and back in demand the next day. Most top jockeys in fact have gone through that cycle at least once during their career. You can be riding ordinary horses one day and then suddenly find yourself on a champion the next day, because nobody really knows who the next champion is going to be or where it is going to come from. So there is never any reason to lose hope, particularly if you still have complete confidence in your own ability.

As it is, I’ve got six rides tomorrow on BTC Cup day. A couple of horses there go alright and a couple of my rides have got chances, although they are very competitive fields. The best thing I can do is give them every opportunity to perform as well as they can.

I’ve got one in the big race … Elite Falls.

Buffering is the deserved favourite in the race. You have to acknowledge his right to that after his runs to Black Caviar and Hay List.

He has been handed the fourteen draw though. He’ll have to work to get across because there is a bit of other speed in it. Jockeys aren't going to let him cross and canter in front, especially being a bigger field.

He’s back on top of the ground which is also going to put some other horses at a better advantage too. On a wet track he is probably far superior to the majority of them but, yeah, with the draw, he has been given plenty to do on Saturday.

As far as my horse, Elite Falls, is concerned … her runs in Sydney after the Oakleigh Plate have probably been disappointing, but John (O’Shea) must think she is going alright to bring her up here.

She is also drawn wide. She got a long way back in the Oakleigh Plate and finished off strongly to just go down to Woorim. I’d say from the draw I would probably go back … I’m picking that will be the case … but that could change after I talk to John.

If there is a lot of speed on, which there should be, you can come from last and win.

We know she can obviously run home. Let’s hope she can on the day.

That could be the break I need.

Till next week,
Larry

* There is currently concern about Buffering's well-being after he pulled up exhibiting sensitivity in the near-fore foot after work this morning. Buffering is currently receiving treatment and a final decision on his participation in the big race will only be taken on race-day morning (see separate story).

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