BY ANDI THORNHILL

SATURDAY was a great one for the sport of kings but a sad one for the king of sports in Barbados.

From far away at Churchill Downs in the United States, one noted Bajan sportsman stood out like the proverbial beacon as he rode in the very prestigious Kentucky Derby, somewhat like the Olympics of horse racing.

Patrick Husbands was astride 49-1 outsider Seaside Retreat. At those odds it wasn't likely that even with his first class skills, Husbands would have won the big race but his mere presence there assured a triumph and by extension a victory for all Barbadians, those in the horse racing industry and those in other professions.

I think we could conclude that at this stage of his career this must be considered the highlight, notwithstanding that he has won two Gold Cups, a host of other major races in the Caribbean and the sovereign rider's championship at Woodbine in Canada for three successive years.

It must be any jockeys' dream to have a mount in any of the big races on the international racing circuit, but only a few, comparatively speaking, ever get to ride in them.

That Husbands was able to achieve it means the connections that recruited him must have had the highest respect for his horsemanship.

It says conclusively again that because you are from a small island it doesn't mean you can't dream big and succeed, but equally as important it indicates we can hone homegrown skills efficiently and then showcase them to the rest of the world with pride.

Not helping

The point, though, must be made again that we must not take people like Husbands for granted. In most cases we are guilty of not assisting our top sportsmen and women in the early stages of their careers.

We tend to withhold that greater degree of tangible assistance until they have surged on to the international stage.

There is a possibility that we will lose some of the promising ones if we aren't alert and prudent enough to provide some kind of solid framework which would give them the surety and confidence to concentrate on what they want to achieve.

Most of their international peers usually have that comfort zone thus mentally, for sure, they have a huge advantage to start with.

Fortunately, someone like Husbands was given the chance to improve his skills in the Canadian environment at Woodbine where he has grown as a person and as a jockey. Not all of our budding or potential sporting heroes get these opportunities.

Therefore, we must be proactive in searching for and helping to identify windows of opportunity for those who show that they have the necessary aptitude and discipline to take it beyond the domestic level.

Surely, no pun intended, but Husbands deserves a pat on the back for blazing a new trail for all proud Bajans who pride themselves on our motto of Pride and Industry.

No such accolade, unfortunately, for King Cricket which took another fall from grace over the weekend when premier league club Oran Bristol sought an injunction in the High Court to prevent the start of the new Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) season and succeeded in doing so.

The matter related to the possibility of promotion for them under a revamped system. It is Bristol's position that they should have been considered to join the big boys in the first division. Truth be told, they have been very consistent in the premiership and in the Shield competition.

Juxtaposed against what the promoted University Of The West Indies has done over the years, they believe that they should also have been in line for promotion.

Strong case

It is a strong case and the BCA was accused by the St Peter team of not hearing them out. If this is true, then it means the BCA should have handled the matter with greater care considering the credentials of Bristol.

Given the several court actions brought against the association in recent years, you would have thought that they would do everything in their power to avoid such an occurence if it was possible. I would hate to think they underestimated the very passionate position of Bristol in this matter because if they did, we can see why action to stop the season from beginning as scheduled was taken.

The easiest way to have settled the issue from the start was to simply promote Bristol and Dover, putting a team in each of the zones. That way everybody would be happy.

The onus is on associations to ensure all their members feel they have an equal chance in whatever system that exists or whether there has been adjustments to the current one.

Bristol felt they were not treated fairly in the new system and that is perhaps why they resorted to litigation which is usually the very last option to settle disputes. The court will be the final judge in the issue.

It is my wish, though, that the course of sports for all will be a lot smoother .