Jockey Husbands Rides 3,000th Winner

Woodbine mainstay Patrick Husbands guided in his 3,000th North American winner June 18, when Shez a Ten I Know captured her debut in the first race at the Toronto track.

Husbands deftly settled the 2-year-old Court Vision   filly after a bump at the start. Showing speed, she moved outside the front-runner on the turn, took charge a furlong out, and won the 4 1/2-furlong race by 3 1/2 lengths under a hand ride. She is trained by Mark Casse for Gary Barber and Quintessential Racing Florida.

Husbands, a native of Barbados, is an eight-time Sovereign Award winner. He rode professionally in his native country, getting his license in 1987 when he was just 14 before moving his tack in 1994 to Canada, where he has had great success, including winning the Canadian Triple Crown aboard Wando.

Since getting his North American license in 1989, his more than 16,000 mounts have earned purses totaling in excess of $146 million. His record includes 2,632 seconds and 2,251 thirds, as well as 270 stakes victories and 65 graded wins. He has been the leading jockey at Woodbine on seven occasions.

In addition to Wando, Husbands' top mounts include Numerous Times, winner of the 2001 edition of the $1 million Woodbine Mile; Sealy Hill,  Canada's Horse of the Year in 2007; and Lexie Lou, who won the Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser and the Queen's Plate, en route to Canadian Horse of the Year honors in 2014.

"The smartest horse I ever rode was Wando. He was unbelievable," Husbands said. "In post parade, he'd pose for pictures for the crowd. When we got to the gate and the last horse went in, he'd turn his head to look for the starter. When the gates flew, he was gone."

Husbands, who became a Canadian citizen in 2000, was inducted into the Brampton Sports Hall of Fame in 2005 and was also named the recipient of the Avelino Gomez Award in 2014.