War Has Rider Happy As Larry

Sydney Morning Herald

Thursday October 5, 2006

Craig Young

NOBODY rides the Randwick mile better than Macau-bound jockey Larry Cassidy. The premiership-winning rider is looking to collect another feature when he partners massive galloper Desert War in Saturday's Epsom Handicap at headquarters.

The Gai Waterhouse-trained Desert War, which weighs about 600 kilograms, is out to win a historic third Epsom Handicap, but Australia's highest-rated thoroughbred, Racing To Win, charged into red figures yesterday when the 13-horse field was announced.

"Desert War has a very good chance," Cassidy said at Canterbury yesterday. "Obviously the main danger is Racing To Win, he hasn't done anything wrong to date, but my bloke is very tough . . . and you need such a horse to win over the Randwick mile."

Cassidy has claimed 12 group 1 victories over the mile at Randwick - three Doncaster Handicaps and George Main Stakes and dual victories in the Epsom Handicap, Flight Stakes and the Champagne Stakes.

"I've also won three Villiers, but it's a group 2," he said.

Desert War defied the five-time group 1 winner Eremein to win the Hill Stakes but then sat off the tearaway Court's In Session in last Saturday's George Main at Randwick, which was won by Racing To Win, trained by John O'Shea.

Racing To Win, which is out to match the great miler Super Impose's 1991 effort of winning the Doncaster-Epsom handicaps in the same year, firmed into $1.80 favourite with bookmaker Colin Tidy's betchoice.com.

"They launched straight into him in the doubles," Tidy said.

"We've laid some very heavy doubles, which is not unexpected. The punters love anchoring shorties in the feature doubles. We are going to get a hiding if the thing lobs and it will be the same with all the doubles operators."

Some of the doubles include $3000 on Racing To Win into Activation in Saturday's The Metropolitan at $27, and O'Shea's galloper has been coupled with Cox Plate favourite El Segundo for $1500 at $35.

"One bloke has had $150 on Magic Jet in the Spring Champion into Racing To Win at $671," Tidy said. "He had it a while ago, but Magic Jet will run around $10, and the bloke has it running for $100,000.

"There is no doubt Racing To Win is the dominant horse in Sydney but I couldn't see him starting any shorter than $1.80. By the same token, the big punters will want to be on him."

Cassidy said: "The Epsom is his [Desert War's] race," and revealed: "he was a bit fresh last week, he raced a bit keenly early on, and he will have benefited from the run.

"Gai has set him for this race and he'll be spot on, win or lose, there will be no excuses. If I can dictate in front and somewhere along the way he gets an easy couple of sectionals, it could make it difficult to run him down."

Cassidy, who is off for a three-month stint riding in Macau on Monday, rides Catechuchu in the group 1 Flight Stakes over the Randwick mile and warned, "the fillies' race is pretty open, a different one is winning every week. I think she has a good chance".

In The Metropolitan, Cassidy takes over on County Tyrone from his brother Jim Cassidy, who rides Our Smoking Joe in the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington.

County Tyrone won the race two years ago and was a luckless fifth last start behind Bikkie Tin Blues in the Newcastle Cup.

"He is a good old campaigner coming into form at the right time," Cassidy said. "He has a lot of pluses, he'll run the distance and the form out of the Newcastle Cup has stood up better then expected."

County Tyrone's stablemate Exinite finished second in the Newcastle Cup before winning last Saturday's Queen's Cup at Randwick for Cassidy. Trainer Kris Lees has booked Takeover Target's jockey Jay Ford for the ride on Saturday.

Trainer Bede Murray reported shortly after Mistifies won the Members Equity Bank Handicap at Canterbury yesterday that his Metropolitan runner Vanquished had responded well to treatment this week.

Vanquished finished fifth behind Exinite in the Queen's Cup but was galloped on mid-race and had its off-hind leg stripped. Murray said yesterday: "He is ready to go."

Randwick feature-race fields - Page 33

© 2006 Sydney Morning Herald

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