Cassidy May Be Next Jockey To Strike Gold With Flying Filly
Sydney Morning Herald
Wednesday February 7, 2007
TOOWOOMBA tornado Gold Edition signalled she was on track to extend her dominance at Randwick on Saturday with a sparkling Warwick Farm trial performance yesterday.
The Ron Maund-prepared Gold Edition looked sharp when accounting for the John Hawkes-trained Paratroopers by four lengths in the 804-metre trial in which Jim Cassidy was aboard. Gold Edition ran clearly the fastest time of the trial session."It's all well and good to say we beat Paratroopers easily with him being such a top-class horse," said Maund, who elected to remain in Queensland and head to the Gatton trials. "But we were out for a good workout and Paratroopers was given your typical John Hawkes trial in which he was just out for a warm-up for his return to racing."Cassidy will partner Gold Edition for the first time in a race when she contests the Light Fingers Stakes this weekend. The filly hasn't started since demolishing rivals in the Magic Millions Trophy at the Gold Coast last month."It's been almost a month since she last raced so she was out to have a solid hit-out," Maund said. "We don't overly work our horses on the track so the trial was there for her to get a little serious leading into Saturday."Cassidy was impressed by Gold Edition, which was ridden by Darren Beadman in her Gold Coast romp, and is looking forward to the Light Fingers, which Maund won last year with Street Smart. "She is a natural," Cassidy said. "She just jumps out and runs. She is all class."Maund said the Light Fingers would be the forerunner to a Sydney autumn campaign for Gold Edition. "She will stay in Sydney for the set-weight races," he said. "But we'll just see what happens on Saturday first. We don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves. We have been very happy with the slices of the cake we've been given so far so we don't want to get too greedy." Maund was "very happy" to have secured the services of Cassidy. "When he came back from his time off with injury it was just a matter of him getting his fitness back and now that has happened Jim is going great," he said. Meanwhile, the "Power Pays" promotion by the NSW TAB begins this weekend with five upcoming race-day win pools to be boosted by approximately 10 per cent bonus on regular dividends. The win pool dividends on meetings conducted on February 10, 11, 17, 18 and 25 will be based on a commission rate reduction from 14.5 per cent to 5.95 per cent. Second nominations for the Golden Slipper have been delayed until Tuesday, while the Golden Rose for three-year-olds has been recommended for upgrading to group 2 status. Jockey Dwayne Dunn can be reunited with Caulfield Cup winner Tawqeet in the Orr Stakes after Victorian stewards yesterday took no action against him following an inquiry into his ride on Sain Vesuvio at Sandown last month, reports Patrick Bartley. Chairman of stewards Terry Bailey was concerned at Dunn's lack of vigour in the straight, with Sain Vesuvio finishing second behind the heavily backed Street Classic.
© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald
