Patrick Husbands (born May 22, 1973) is a
Barbadian jockey in
Thoroughbred horse racing
Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...
. The son of a jockey, he began riding as a young boy, turning professional in his home country where he rode successfully until emigrating to
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
in 1994. In 1990 he became the youngest jockey to win the prestigious Barbados Gold Cup at just 16 years, 9 months on his mount Vardar.
Racing out of
Woodbine Racetrack
Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The tra ...
, in 2003 Husbands won the
Canadian Triple Crown aboard the colt
Wando and that year became his breakout year. Among his other notable wins, he rode
Numerous Times to victory in the $1 million 2001
Woodbine Mile
The Woodbine Mile is a Grade I stakes race on turf for Thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up held annually in mid September at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Canada. Currently sponsored by Ricoh, the Woodbine Mile offers a purse of Can ...
and
Exciting Story in that same year's
Metropolitan Handicap
The Metropolitan Handicap, frequently called the "Met Mile", is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one mile (8 fu ...
at
Belmont Park in
New York. He rode
Arch Hall to three straight wins between 2004 and 2006 in the
Sir Barton Stakes
The Sir Barton Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early December at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. An Ontario Sire Stakes, it is a restricted race for horses age three and older. Raced over a distance of miles o ...
. In 2007, he was the regular rider on
Canadian Horse of the Year
The Canadian Horse of the Year is a thoroughbred horse racing honour given annually since 1951 by the Jockey Club of Canada. It is the most prestigious honour in Canadian thoroughbred horse racing.
Part of the Sovereign Awards program since 1975, ...
,
Sealy Hill
Sealy Hill (April 14, 2004 – February 23, 2021) was a Canadian Thoroughbred racehorse who won three Sovereign Awards in 2007, including Canadian Horse of the Year. In 2013, she was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
Owned ...
.
Patrick Husbands was voted the
Sovereign Award for Outstanding Jockey a then unprecedented four straight years between 1999 and 2002. He made his first
Kentucky Derby appearance in 2006 riding
Seaside Retreat for
trainer Mark Casse
Mark E. Casse (born February 14, 1961) is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer whose most notable horses include 2015 American champion turf mare Tepin and Canadian Horses of the Year Sealy Hill (2007), Uncaptured (2012), Lexie Lou (2014), Catch A ...
. In 2008 he won his fifth riding title at Woodbine Racetrack and was voted the Sovereign Award for Outstanding Jockey for a record-tying sixth time.
On October 4, 2009 Patrick Husbands earned his 2,000th career victory at Woodbine Racetrack.
On June 5, 2014 it was announced the Husband would be the 30th winner of the
Avelino Gomez Memorial Award The Avelino Gomez Memorial Award is a Canadian thoroughbred horse racing honour given annually to a jockey who is Canadian-born, Canadian-raised, or a regular in the country for more than five years, who has made significant contributions to the sp ...
. The award recognizes jockeys who are Canadian-born, Canadian-raised, or a regular in the country for more than five years, who have made significant contributions to the sport of thoroughbred horse racing.
On June 18, 2016 Patrick Husbands earned his 3,000th career victory at Woodbine Racetrack.
Husbands makes his home in
Brampton, Ontario
Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it th ...
. He has a brother (Simon Husbands) and a nephew- apprentice (Terry Husbands) who are also jockeys.
Year-end charts
References
Patrick Husbands at the NTRA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Husbands, Patrick
Avelino Gomez Memorial Award winners
Barbadian emigrants to Canada
Barbadian jockeys
Canadian jockeys
Sportspeople from Brampton
Sportspeople from Bridgetown
Sovereign Award winners
1973 births
Living people