Husbands wins top money stakes

TORONTO, Canada – Marquee Barbadian jockey Patrick Husbands won the CAN$150 000 Selene Stakes for the fourth time in partnership with champion trainer Mark Casse, when he guided 6-5 favourite Our Flash Drive to a straightforward victory in the co-feature on Saturday.

Riding in race seven on the 11-race card, the 48-year-old stalked pacesetter California Lily for most of the way with the bay filly before bidding on the turn and storming to the wire 2-½ lengths clear of the three-year-old fillies, in a time of one minute, 44.69 seconds.

“I’ve breezed her about five times and she has shown me she’s got the talent [for the distance],” Husbands said afterwards.

“She’s like a lot of horses. She has a serious attitude so once you keep her away from other horses and [there’s] nobody around her, you and her will get along [well].”

He continued: “At the break, she relaxed right off the bat. I saw in the first turn, Luis (Contreras) trying to get his horse (Sweet Souper Sweet) to relax and I couldn’t give the race to (Rafael) Hernandez [aboard California Lily] so I had to keep [pushing] him and she showed she was the best.”

California Lily, going off at odds of 5-1, produced the early splits of 24.78 seconds for the quarter and 49.03 for the half, with Husbands stalking a length back in second and Sweet Souper Sweet two lengths back in third.

Husbands quickened Our Flash Drive coming off the final turn and cruised by on the outside to assume the lead at the top of the lane.

Munnyfo Ro came with a late challenge under Justin Stein but Husbands kept Our Flash Drive focussed to hit the wire strongly.

“I was stalking Hernandez and when we passed the three-eighth pole [he] started to back up …” Husbands explained.

“And as he started to back up, she (Our Flash Drive) started to stop too and I had to get into her and get her going and she just started to draw away.”

Another Barbadian jockey Keveh Nicholls also tasted success on the card when he paired with 6-1 choice More Savvy to turn back the three-year-old and upward fillies and mares by a neck, in a five furlong dash in race three. (CMC)