Husbands wins four at Woodbine

TORONTO, Canada (CMC):

Barbadian jockey Patrick Husbands snatched four wins on the 10-race card at Woodbine on Sunday, to break the 100-win barrier in the jockeys' championship for the 14th straight season.

The 38-year-old reinsman, who has been chasing runaway leader Luis Contreras all season, captured race one with Smart Penny, race five with Mist Opportunity, race seven aboard Mobilizer and race nine in the stirrups of Barbados-based Canadian businessman Eugene Melnyk's Indian Pond.

He now has 102 wins, 24 shy of Contreras who has led from the start of the season. Defending champion Eurico Rosa da Silva is third on 88 wins.

Husbands pulled off perhaps the most thrilling ride of the day when he unleashed a trademark come-from-behind effort to get 6-1 bet Mist Opportunity up late to win by a length.

Going a mile for the three-year-olds and upward, Husbands and Mist Opportunity were dead last at the half-mile and still down the field as the race turned for home, with pace-setter Thishawkdontdance six lengths clear.

However, Husbands closed the three-year-colt like a train down the middle of the track, overhauling Thishawkdontdance in the dying yards in a brilliant performance.

Husbands secured his third win in the CAN$74,800 race seven when he piloted the favourite Mobilizer to a comfortable victory going 1-1/16th miles.

Lucky Lotto set the pace through the half-mile as Husbands stalked with the four-year-old colt from fourth.

Entering the far turn, Husbands swung Mobilizer to the inside and snatched the lead and drew away strongly to win by 3³/⁴ lengths.

He completed his fourth win in the saddle of Indian Pond, trained by the celebrated Mark Casse, as he romped to the finish a length clear over the three-year-olds and upward fillies and mares.