TORONTO – Ace Barbadian jockey Patrick Husbands missed out on 100 wins at Woodbine racetrack for the first time in 15 years, as the season at the Toronto Oval wrapped up last weekend.
The 40-year-old managed just a single win on the 13-race season-ending card last week, to finish with 89 wins from 357 mounts and claim fifth spot in the jockeys’ standings.
Mexican Luis Contreras picked up his third straight riding title, landing 168 wins to finish well ahead of Brazilian Eurico Rosa de Silva who ended on 143 victories.
Husbands, however, stood out with a superior win percentage of 25 per cent among all jockeys.
A six-time Woodbine champion and a Top 3 finisher over the last 15 seasons, Husbands suffered a fall just a month into the season and was ruled out for 3-1/2 months with a broken leg.
In a freak accident, his mount A Tough Buck collapsed after finishing a six-furlong event, trapping Husbands underneath. He was forced to undergo surgery.
As a result, Husbands just failed to crack the CAN$4 million earnings barrier for the first time in 14 years when he finished with CAN$3 959 735 (BDS$ 7 443 460).
For the last ten seasons, he has earned in excess of CAN$5 million, and has cracked $9 million over the last three years.
Husbands also fell short in his stakes tally, grabbing 11 added money victories, behind Da Silva, who led all jockeys with 27 stakes wins, and Contreras who was second with 16.
Husbands narrowly missed out on another stakes win on last Sunday’s final day when he finished second aboard favourite Eagle Poise in the CAN$150 000 Grade III Valedictory Stakes, won by Quaesitor.
At the time of his injury, Husbands had already won 18 races and did not return to the saddle until September when he produced impressive form to make his mark on the season.
Two other Barbadian jockeys failed to make any impression during the eight-month season. Christopher Griffith managed just six victories from 114 rides, while Juan Crawford picked up just two from 173 mounts. (CMC)