Husbands achieves 2,000 career wins

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Canada's premier racetrack Woodbine witnessed a fine milestone for Patrick Husbands on Sunday when the Barbadian jockey achieved 2,000 wins in North American horse racing.

Husbands, 36, guided the 7-to-2 second favorite Grazettes Landing to victory in the CAN$71,520 10th race over six furlongs to reach the milestone.

An hour earlier, Husbands had won the Durham Cup Stakes astride the impressive four-year-old colt Pool Play for win number 1,999.

Fittingly, he partnered with the champion connection of trainer Mark Casse and owner Eugene Melnyk, prominent men in his career for the landmark victory astride the four-year-old gelding Grazettes Landing.

"It is an honor, it's a great feeling and it was unbelievable. It's like winning the Gold Cup in Barbados," Husbands told CMC Sport.

A six-time Sovereign Award winner as Canada's most outstanding jockey and five-time Woodbine champion, Husbands credited to Casse and Melnyk for the role they have played in his success.

"I've won about 600 (races) and change for Mark Casse. He's made me who I am today. I give him all the credit.

Husbands, who began riding in Canada during the early 1990s, also spoke of the importance of trainers like Kathy Patton-Casse, Tom Patton, Sr. and Reade Baker, who all gave him opportunities before he became champion.

Born on May 22, 1973, Husbands enjoyed historic success early in his career.

In 1990, at age 16, he became the youngest rider ever to win the Barbados Gold Cup with Vardar.

Champion jockey of Barbados in 1993 at a mere 20 years old, he began having annual riding stints in Canada in 1994, but took a few years to begin making an impact.

His breakthrough season was 1998 when he finished third in the Woodbine jockeys' championship with 131 victories.

He won his first Woodbine jockeys' title in 1999 when Barbados also made him Sports Personality of the Year, and he repeated as champion in 2000.

He was voted Sovereign Award winner as Canada's most outstanding jockey for an unprecedented four consecutive years, from 1999-2002.

In 2003, the Barbados Government bestowed a national honor on Husbands for his outstanding service to sport, giving him the Barbados Service Star (BSS).

The Brampton, Ontario, resident has won several high profile races throughout his career, including the 2003 Triple Crown (Queen's Plate, Prince of Wales and Breeders' Stakes) with Gus Schickedanz's Wando and the 2001 Woodbine Mile with Numerous Times.

His victory astride Pool Play on Sunday gave him 17 added-money wins so far for the season.

Husbands is on course for his sixth Woodbine jockeys' title and has 132 winners with mounts' earnings of CAN$8.08 million.

Top Woodbine Jockeys:

1 Patrick Husbands (BAR) 132 wins
2 Chantal Sutherland 96
3 James McAleney 90
4 Emile Ramsammy (T&T) 89
5 Eurico Da Silva 84
6 Tyler Pizarro 80
7 Emma-Jayne Wilson 77
8 Todd Kabel 53
9 Luis Contreras 52
10 Justin Stein 43

Add this article to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites