Larry Cassidy eases back into the saddle at the Deagon barrier trials

JOCKEY Larry Cassidy stepped up his comeback bid by riding at the trials at Deagon on Tuesday.

Larry Cassidy hopes to resume race riding by September. Picture: Tara Croser

JOCKEY Larry Cassidy stepped up his comeback bid by riding at the trials at Deagon on Tuesday.

Cassidy rode in a couple of trials for trainer Liam Birchley and was sore afterwards but remains upbeat about his plans to return to race riding.

The Group 1-winning jockey has been sidelined with injury for more than a year, forced to temporarily give up his riding career after undergoing several knee operations and suffering leg stress fractures.

But the 45-year-old has returned to the saddle and is eyeing off a race riding comeback late next month or in early September.

“My knee was a little bit sore after riding in the trials, but that was to be expected,” Cassidy said. “My knee doesn’t actually hurt when I am riding but it hurts when I get off.”

Cassidy plans to increase his trackwork riding by taking five or six rides at the jumpouts at Doomben next week.

He is taking a cautious approach to his race riding comeback but says if things progress as planned he should be back on race days by September.

Originally published as Larry Cassidy eases back into the saddle at the Deagon barrier trials