Jim Cassidy rode through the pain barrier to steal the show at Rosehill on Saturday with four winners, including a treble for Randwick trainer John O'Shea.Cassidy has been battling a rib cartilage injury which forced him to stand down after just one ride at Randwick last Saturday.However the grand slam-winning jockey defied doctor's advice, spending only a few days on the sidelines instead of a few weeks, and was at his brilliant best on Saturday despite still feeling the effects of the injury.H
Jim Cassidy rode through the pain barrier to steal the show at Rosehill on Saturday with four winners, including a treble for Randwick trainer John O'Shea.
Cassidy has been battling a rib cartilage injury which forced him to stand down after just one ride at Randwick last Saturday.
However the grand slam-winning jockey defied doctor's advice, spending only a few days on the sidelines instead of a few weeks, and was at his brilliant best on Saturday despite still feeling the effects of the injury.
His four winners on Faustus, Colorado Claire, Oakfield Beauty and Lightinthenite took the 48-year-old to the head of the Sydney jockeys' premiership with 23 wins.
"I might have to retire tomorrow now I'm in front, it's been a few years since I've had my nose in front in the premiership," the champion rider quipped.
"I'm proud of myself and proud of Vic (wife Vicki) because she has babysitted me all week and helped with icing the injury every night to make sure we were here today.
"It's been a brilliant day and we got through it which is the main thing.
"I'll be making a decision first thing in the morning about whether I ride on Wednesday though because it's pretty fragile right now."
Cassidy and O'Shea's day started with victory on Golden Slipper prospect Faustus who made an impressive debut in the The Nova 969 Fitzy & Wippa Handicap (1100m), defeating favourite Kuchinskaya by half a neck.
"He was still very new and there's unbelievable improvement in him. He's a beautiful horse," Cassidy said of the More Than Ready colt.
Cassidy and O'Shea were at it again when Colorado Claire maintained her unbeaten record from three starts when she got the better of Sindarin in the Bacardi Handicap (1400m).
Oakfield Beauty, prepared by Darren Smith at Newcastle, brought up Cassidy's treble in the styletread.com.au Handicap (1400m) before O'Shea and Cassidy capped their day in style with Lightinthenite proving too strong in the Jacob's Creek Sparkling Moscato Handicap (1500m).
"It is killing me now," Cassidy said as he returned to scale on Lightinthenite.
"I was on empty with 10 strides to go. I'll be feeling it tonight and tomorrow."
Lightinthenite was asked to get going from the 700m mark by Cassidy and the lightly-raced runner fended off his rivals to defeat Circle Of Power by a short neck with a head to favourite Riva De Lago in third place.
"John said just put him to sleep the first half-mile (800m) and be aggressive the last 700 (metres) and it worked out," Cassidy said.
"It was a good effort."
O'Shea was also delighted his stable's success on Saturday.
"They are all lightly-raced conveyances that are building very good records," he said.
"We'll keep chipping away with them and looking after them and hopefully they'll repay us."