So when he had the option of staying with Randwick Guineas winner Dissident or riding an old favourite in Hawkspur in the Doncaster Mile, Cassidy went for the Queensland Derby winner from the Waller yard.

"I'm not the go-to man at Chris' but we have a good record together," Cassidy said. "He gave me group 1 winners 97, 98, 99, 100.

"They were Foreteller, Hakwspur, Zoustar, Zoustar, so we hit a golden patch."

Cassidy has had 33 group 1 rides for Waller for four winners, four seconds, seven thirds and a couple of fourths, which is a remarkable strike rate.

"I just get on them and stick with them," Cassidy said "Chris is a great trainer, so you want to be with him. Hawkspur has been a special horse for me and is owned by good mates of mine.

"I was hoping that Dissident would go better in the Rosehill Guineas to get out to the Derby [trip] but that didn't happen."

Cassidy sat down with Dissident's trainer, Peter Moody, shortly after the Guineas and realised he had to make a choice.

"I didn't want to stuff him around, so the decision was made very early," Cassidy said. "That meant he could get a good jockey, and he has in Brenton [Avdulla].

"You pick and stick; that is what I have done with Hawkspur since Brisbane."

The four-year-old brings the right type of form into the Doncaster, says Cassidy, who won the famous mile on Vision And Power. Hawkspur has had three runs back from a spring campaign, which had him start favourite in the Caulfield Cup but ran seventh and then he failed to stay in the Melbourne Cup.

Hawkspur flopped in Orr Stakes at Caulfield without Cassidy but they were reunited in Sydney where he ran third in the Chipping Norton Stakes to Boban and fourth behind Silent Achiever in the Ranvet Stakes.

"He won the Chelmsford Stakes over the Randwick mile in the spring, which is weight-for-age form, and he will handle the track," Cassidy said.

"I have been very happy with two runs since he has been back in Sydney and I have no doubt that he is a major player in the race."

It might be Cassidy's only chance to win one of the four Championships races as Zoustar and Cornrow are unlikely to start on a wet track in the TJ Smith and Sires' Produce Stakes respectively, while he is on outsider Solo Saga in the Australian Derby.