Membership restricted in 100 club

Jim Cassidy still pumped after his 100th Group 1 win on Zoustar celebrates a new sponsorhip with Jeep before the Melbourne Cup. Picture: Mark Evans Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

JIMMY Cassidy notched his 100th career Group 1 winner on Saturday - but the exclusive club looks like remaining just that for a good few years to come.

When The Pumper kicked home Zoustar to victory in the Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m), he joined the late George Moore (119) and Roy Higgins (108) as the only hoops to have ridden a ton of majors during their career.

While Damien Oliver needs just three Group 1s to also join the club - he'll have a good chance on hotpot Fiorente in tomorrow's Melbourne Cup - it appears some time before the next member is inducted.

In fact, there's every chance no other jockey will reach triple figures before they end their careers.

Of the current riders, big-race specialist Glen Boss sits on 79, while the next jockey on the leaderboard, Chris Munce, is yet to reach the half-century.

As Cassidy celebrated his awesome achievement yesterday, he told The Daily Telegraph it would take a rider with the backing of a powerhouse stable to have any chance to close in on the milestone.

"Not many riders go out and ride five or six Group 1s in a season, unless you're a Kerrin McEvoy with the backing of a big stable,'' Cassidy said.

"It's also whether you're prepared to keep riding that long to chase a record of that calibre.

"I missed a lot of time, I'd hate to think how much time I've lost _ it would be five years, plus - and it's taken a long time do to. But if you concentrate, focus and make sacrifices, that's what it's about.''

Cassidy has put no time frame on how much longer he'll keep riding. At 50, he's riding as well as he was 30 years ago when he won his first Melbourne Cup on Kiwi.

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Cassidy praised the support of leading trainer Chris Waller, the trainer of Zoustar, as well as the man who has put the spit and polish on his Cup ride Hawkspur.

Asked to name his three favourite Group 1s, Cassidy said: "It would be Kiwi in the 1983 Cup, Might And Power's Caulfield Cup win in 1997, and yesterday's win on Zoustar. I just hope I don't get Alzheimers' because I never want to forget that one."

Higgins, like Cassidy, said it would take a jockey with the backing of a giant stable to have any hope of racking up the ton.

"I won't see another jockey (make the 100 club aside from Oliver) in my lifetime, and I'm 75,'' Higgins said.

``What you need is the backing of a powerful stable. The two guys up until now who had broken the 100 barrier was the great George Moore, who was tied to the great TJ Smith, and I rode for Bart Cummings. If you don't have that support, you'll find it very, very hard getting near that number by freelancing.''

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