TORONTO – Winning Woodbine’s jockeys’ title this season may be a long shot for riding ace Patrick Husbands but he remained on course for his best season ever at the celebrated Canadian racetrack when he landed a triple on Friday.
The six-time champion scored with Wonderfully in Race 1, Dangerous Lover in Race 7, before wrapping up his success aboard Forest’s Mist in Race 8, to shine on the nine-race card.
Husbands lies second with 158 wins for the season but remains 18 adrift of leader Luis Contreras who also snatched a share of the headlines with a triple.
However, with 32 race days left in the season, Husbands is on course to surpass his best tally of 188 wins which he achieved two years ago.
On Friday, he opened his account over six furlongs with the favourite Wonderfully, guiding the three-year-old chestnut filly to victory by 2 1/2 lengths.
Husbands duelled with outsider Valanna, ridden by Trinidadian Emile Ramsammy, before getting ahead in the stretch and driving Wonderfully to the finish under a hand ride.
In contrast, Husbands made all the running aboard Dangerous Lover to win Race 7 over 6 1/2 furlongs.
The three-year-old brown filly was away quickly to set a pressured pace with busy fractions of 22:62 seconds and 45:96 seconds before storming clear on the turn and widening in the late stretch.
He rounded off an excellent day at the office with another stylish ride to carry 2-1 bet Forest’s Mist to a handsome win over the three-year-old and upward fillies and mares.
Going 1 1/8 miles, Classic Marla set the pace as Husbands and Forest’s Mist stalked from third before picking up the pace on the far turn.
Husbands then roused the three-year-old just past the quarter pole and she responded well, overtaking the leader and easing to the finish 2 3/4 lengths clear. (CMC)
