Larry Cassidy Suspended For Three Months
- Monday, 26 September 2011 08:30
Jockey Larry Cassidy has been outed for three months over his handling of beaten favourite Trump at Doomben last Saturday week.
Racing Queensland stewards handed down the hefty ban after finding Cassidy guilty at a reconvened inquiry on Monday.
Cassidy was questioned extensively on race day after $1.70 favourite Trump finished third to his Rob Heathcote-trained stablemate Bevico Girl in a 1615m race.
Immediately after the race, Heathcote was furious with Cassidy's handling of the three-year-old who was caught three-wide.
Stewards took Cassidy to task for not improving his position early in the race, saying he unnecessarily restrained him which resulted in the horse being caught three-wide.
Cassidy defended his actions saying he was trying to make sure Trump was relaxed and he was unable to get back in after two horses kicked up inside him.
A three-time winner of the Sydney jockeys' premiership, Cassidy moved to Queensland in January 2009.
He cited a lack of opportunity in Sydney due to small fields and the major stables retaining their own riders.
Cassidy won his three Sydney premierships in the late 1990s when he was the number one rider for Crown Lodge trainer John Hawkes.
While in Sydney, the former New Zealander amassed an outstanding record over the Randwick "mile" including wins in the Group One Doncaster Handicap on Secret Savings (1997) and Sunline (1999) and Epsom Handicap victories on Golden Sword (1993), Dodge (1998) and Desert War (2005).
