Byrne not giving up premiership fight

BRISBANE Jul 30 2010

Jim Byrne is like a champion prize fighter and is refusing to throw in the towel in the battle for Brisbane's riding honours.

Byrne is rated a rank outsider, needing four wins to claim his fourth Brisbane jockeys' premiership at Saturday's final meeting of the season at Doomben.

He goes into the meeting in third place with 68 wins, four wins behind leader Stathi Katsidis.

Larry Cassidy is second, only one win behind Katsidis who has left the premiership door ajar for his rivals by riding Cox Plate-bound Shoot Out in Melbourne on Saturday.

Irrespective of the final outcome, Byrne feels both he and Katsidis are already winners thanks to their manager Trevor Lansky.

Katsidis has already won the national jockeys' premiership with 169.5 wins, well clear of Byrne with 150 wins while Melbourne's Luke Nolen is third with 132 winners.

"If I get beaten tomorrow at least I've given it a good nudge," Byrne said.

"All the credit should go to my manager Trevor Lansky who also looks after Stathi.

"Trevor is only allowed to manage two jockeys and it's been a huge effort from him to have the two of us finish at the top of the national premiership.

"Whatever happens tomorrow, Stathi and I have both have had big years."

Cassidy is riding his first full season in Brisbane after a lack of opportunities forced him to quit Sydney in the middle of the 2008-09 season.

He has a full book of eight rides at Doomben and requires a double in Katsidis' absence to claim the premiership.

But that doesn't take into account Byrne, who could also grab the coveted prize with four winners if Cassidy is restricted to just one win or less.

Byrne has a far superior number of second placings to both Katsidis and Cassidy and will be declared the premiership winner if the highly unlikely scenario of a three-way tie unfolds.

The countback rule rankles Cassidy, who described it at Eagle Farm on Wednesday as "bizarre".

Byrne believes he's in with a chance of winning the premiership with a strong book on a heavy track.

"I've ridden five winners in a day quite a few times so nothing is impossible," he said.

Cassidy also has eight rides and his hopes of winning the title improved after picking up the ride on Toowoomba filly Falvelina in the Precision Badges Handicap (1200m).

Cassidy won aboard Falvelina when the filly edged out One Lickety Split over 1110m at Doomben on July 17.

By Glenn Davis - AAP