Husbands reaps weekend success

TORONTO, Canada – Seven-time champion, Patrick Husbands, completed a sweep of the weekend’s feature races at Woodbine when he produced a excellent front-running effort with favourite Salute With Honor to win the CAN$125 000 Durham Cup on Sunday.

On the heels of his win in the quarter-million dollar Cup and Saucer Stakes on Saturday, the 47-year-old Husbands yet again proved dominant with another Mark Casse-trained runner, getting the six-year-old chestnut gelding to the wire by a length in a time of one minute, 42.35 seconds.

Going a mile and sixteenth for the three-year-olds, Salute With Honor broke sharply and outran his rivals to snatch the lead into the first turn and lay down brisk fractions of 23.43 seconds for the quarter mile and 47.36 for the half.

Inventing Blame and Roaring Forties duelled in second in pursuit, with the trio of Armistice Day, Pioneer Man and Skywire tracking two lengths back.

Off the final turn, Salute With Honor was two lengths clear with Roaring Forties chasing but once Husbands opened up the gelding, he sprinted clear by four lengths.

Things were made interesting inside the final furlong when Skywire came with a flying late run but Salute With Honor took the wire safely.

The final time was just off the four-year-old track record of 1:42.16 and was enough to hand Salute With Honor his maiden added-money success.

“He’s a horse that likes to be forwardly-placed,” Barbadian Husbands said afterwards.

“I don’t touch him, he just does what he’s gotta do. I just be the pilot and relax on his back, and when I asked him, he gave me all he can give me.”

For Husbands, it was his second straight victory in the Durham following his win in last year’s edition with The Great Day for trainer Arnaud Delacour.

He now has 55 wins from 321 rides, coupled with earnings of $2.7 million for the season which ends December 13.

On Saturday, Husbands won a record sixth Cup and Saucer Stakes with the 5-2 favourite Master Spy in a dominant front-running victory in the CAN$250 000.

Going a mile and sixteenth for the two-year-olds, Husbands controlled the pace early on before fending off a strong challenge from 15-2 bet Threefiftyseven in the stretch to reach the wire 3-¼ lengths clear in a time of one minute, 42.67 seconds.

The victory was the Mark Casse-trained colt’s second in four starts but his maiden added-money success.

“The riders saw the first two races run on the turf today that the winners came from behind so I was telling myself, I hope the [other] riders stick with that plan and I can get an easy lead,” Husbands joked afterwards.

“It’s amazing to see that every time I leave the gate, he was relaxed. He was never rank at all. It showed me that if anybody wanted the lead today, I didn’t mind giving them because from the time he left the gates he was relaxed, so I felt everything went my way.”

Husbands broke Master Spy and sent him to the lead but was flanked on either side in a front three by Credit River on the inside and Dragon Brew on the outside, through the quarter in 24 seconds flat.

In a leisurely amble up the backstretch, Master Spy emerged as the clear leader but while Dragon Brew faded, Threefiftyseven came into contention and coming off the final turn the race evolved into a two-horse battle.

At the top of the stretch, just about half-length separated the duo but Husbands got the best out of Master Spy and he pulled away in the late stages.

For Husbands, the victory was one of two on the 10-race card following his success in the day’s $63 900 opener when he partnered with 9-2 choice Juxtapose to trounce the three-year-old and upward fillies and mares by 3-¾ lengths going a mile and sixteenth.