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Patrick Husbands

He rode in Barbados at the very tender age of five (5) and today he now stands in full control of the horse-racing arena in Canada as he has been the champion jockey at Woodbine, Toronto several times since his very first ride in his hometown Barbados.

 

This may all sound quite fairy-tale oriented but it is indeed a dream come true for this young jockey from Barbados. In 1990 at the Garrison Savannah in Barbados, Patrick was historically the youngest rider ever to win the prestigious Cockspur Gold Cup (now the Sandy Lane Gold Cup).

 

January 3, 2004 was recognised as "Patrick Husbands Day" at the Garrison Savannah racetrack in Barbados. The day highlighted a jockey's challenge and a trio of races that involved several Woodbine-based riders. The Government of Barbados conferred upon him the accolade of Barbados Service Star (BSS) in the country's Independence Day honours' list. On New Year's Day, he took part in the second annual Barbados Jockey's Challenge, helping the home side defeat Team England 76-65 in the three-race event.

 

At Woodbine and Fort Erie, there is a large community from Barbados which Patrick has played a pivotal role in organising various jobs for such as trainers, grooms, exercise riders and hot walkers.

 

Clearly a man with a generous heart, Patrick is a significant donor to both the Hospital for Sick Kids and the Canadian Cancer Society.

 

Patrick's Career

• the youngest rider ever to win the prestigious Cockspur Cup in his hometown of Barbados at age 16, Husbands captured the 1993 Barbados riding title at Garrison Savannah
• after a 12-win rookie season at Woodbine in 1994, Patrick won 50 in 1995- in 1998, Patrick finally broke through posting then-career highs in virtually every category
• he captured his first two Woodbine stakes wins (Royal North with Going to Extremes; Kennedy Road with Uncle Woger) and finished third in the standings in 1998
• parlayed his late season success in 1998 into a stellar Sovereign Award-winning 1999, a year in which he led the Woodbine colony in virtually every category
• in 2000, he tallied Sovereign Award number two- he fell just short that year of his first major Canadian win when Williams News lost a nose decision to Mutafaweq in the $1.5 million Canadian International
• his 2001 Atto Mile win with Numerous Times easily made amends- it was a race he dedicated to his mother, who only days earlier had passed away
• in 2001, became the first rider in Canadian racing history to complete the natural hat-trick, winning back-to-back-to-back Sovereign Awards
• in 2002, Husbands won an unprecedented fourth-consecutive Sovereign Award as the nation's top rider
• led the colony in mounts (840), earnings ($9,222,378), seconds (148) and thirds (118)
• formed formidable tandem with trainer Mark Casse, the duo combining for four wins on August 16, 2002, a day in which Husbands rode five winners in all
• in what was undoubtedly the crowning achievement of his career, Husbands guided 2003 Horse of the Year Wando to Triple Crown glory, teaming with the colt to capture the hearts of Canadian racing fans
• captured 17 stakes scores on the 2003 campaign
• just missed winning the Toronto oval's riders title, finishing the year with 158 victories
• cracked the $10-million mark in purse earnings for the first time
• in 2004, Husbands proved he's one of the best in the business, as he recorded 136 wins (second in the colony), eight added-money scores and $7,176,362 in purse earnings
• has ranked in the top three at Woodbine eight years in a row, including three riders' titles (1999,2000 and 2002)
• won eight Woodbine stakes, including two with Seattlespectacular, the Chief Bearhart and Valedictory
• in 2005,  guided champion Mobil to a brilliant second-place finish to Eclipse Award winner (Top Turf horse) Leroidesanimaux in the Atto Mile
• his 49.1% in-the-money average was tops among all Woodbine regulars
• ranked third in the standings
• his 29 two-year-old wins were most in the colony
• $6,680,865 in purse earnings was the second-best mark
• won the first and last races of the 2005 Woodbine season
• in 2006, finished second in the standings, marking the ninth consecutive year Husbands has ranked in the top three
• his $7,182,656 in purse earnings was best among all riders
• also led the colony in win average (18.6%), in-the-money average (48.5%), turf wins (22, tied with Todd Kabel) and winning favourites (67)
• won 11 stakes races, including the $500,000 Labatt Woodbine Oaks with Kimchi (the duo won the first two races in the Triple Tiara Series), three with Arch Hall, two with Legal Move and the Breeders’ Stakes, third jewel in the Canadian Triple Crown Series, with Stronach Stables’ Royal Challenger
• took the Grade 3 Grey Breeders’ Cup Stakes with Skip Code, who went on to contest the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, also with Husbands in the saddle
• in 2007, won the rider’s title with 149 wins, including a colony-best 21 stakes triumphs
• led the colony in 13 different statistical categories, including purse earnings, two-year-old wins, sprints, routes and turf victories
• piloted champion Sealy Hill to victory in the Labatt Woodbine Oaks,  Bison City and Wonder Where Stakes, making the Eugene Melnyk colour-bearer the first filly to sweep the Triple Tiara Series
• his 20.8 % win average was over 5% higher than his closest competitor
• captured the Breeders’ Stakes with Marchfield
• was awarded his fifth Sovereign Award as Canada’s top rider…rode at Santa Anita over the 2009 winter months
• staged improbable come-from-behind victory to win his second consecutive and fifth overall Woodbine riding title (166 wins)
• in 2008, led the colony in purse earnings ($9,433,918) second-place finishes, win percentage (21%), in-the-money percentage (52%), route wins (61) and allowance scores (46)
• was awarded his sixth Sovereign Award as Canada’s top rider
• won nine Woodbine stakes with nine different horses, including the Cup & Saucer with Utterly Cool and the King Edward with Royal Oath
• recorded five wins from eight mounts on November 27, finishing second twice and third once in his other starts
• partnered 2007 Horse of the Year Sealy Hill to a stirring runner-up effort in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, at Santa Anita
• has won 137 career stakes in North America, 29 of which are graded.

 
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