Bajan jockey quartet log wins at Woodbine

Four Barbadian jockeys, including ace reinsman Patrick Husbands, combined to deliver three wins on the eight-race card on Thursday at the Woodbine race track in Canada.

Husbands notched his 49th win of the season at the main Canadian racing facility, where Japanese rider Kazushi Kimura leads the jockeys’ standings with 116 wins, making him the only individual with more than 100 for the season.

Fellow Barbadian jockey Dasean Bynoe combined with trainer Nathan Squires to deliver a surprising win in the first race of the day, and established rider Keveh Nicholls also proved his ability with an unexpected win later in the card.

Husbands drove the 4-1 bet Sherif Ali to a 3-1/4 lengths win in the CAN $65 900 maiden optional claiming third race over 1 300 metres on the all-weather track.

Sherif Ali leapt at the start, but Husbands got the two-year-old bay gelding under control, and his mount improved smartly on the rail while in hand down the backstretch.

Husbands waited to pounce on the rail through the turn behind the leaders, and he angled out Sherif Ali for the drive, wore down the front-runner in the final furlong, and extended his advantage with every stride at the finish to clock one minute, 18.01 seconds.

Bynoe claimed only his eighth win of the season when he steered the 13-1 outsider Lady Boo – prepared by Squires – to a half-length win in the CAN $49 600 maiden optional claiming first race over 1 300 metres on the all-weather track.

Lady Boo pressed the pace on the rail in the early going, but Bynoe got the two-year-old bay filly to assume command by the half-mile marker, set the fractions through the turn with only mild pressure from behind, and she was kept to task in the homestretch to finish in 1 min, 21.32 secs.

Nicholls grabbed his 20th win of the season and proved his riding skills again when he guided the 36-1 chance Makayla to a victory by a neck in the CAN $36 300 maiden claiming sixth race over 1 700 metres on the all-weather track.

Makayla was put into a stalking position in the fourth flight of horses outside of trouble with a half-mile to run and was advanced between horses entering the far bend before closing the gap around the turn.

Nicholls patiently handled the three-year-old, chestnut filly, weaving through horses at the quarter pole, briefly waited behind rivals at the top of the stretch, angled to the rail for running room at the eighth pole, and burst up the fence late to nab the leader in the shadow of the wire in 1:47.38.
(CMC)