BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Barbados’ most decorated jockey, Patrick Husbands, will not be in the saddle on Saturday for the region’s most prestigious horse race, the Sandy Lane Gold Cup.
The 52-year-old Husbands, a four-time winner, was set to retire after competing in the nine-furlong race at the Garrison Savannah.
However, in a shocking turn of events, he announced on Thursday that he would not be participating in the race, which he won in 1990, 2006, 2010, and 2014.
Husbands said the decision stems from his dissatisfaction with Sir London, the horse he was scheduled to ride. In an interview with The Nation, Husbands revealed that he had originally agreed to ride Diving Propos.
“This is probably the best horse (Diving Propos) that has ever come to Barbados.
“The paperwork for this horse is showing that this horse is better than any horse coming out of Canada. His numbers are extremely high, and he has stayed consistent across the last three years, so I thought this would be the best scenario for me, so I never looked at the horse’s name,” Husbands said.
“Yesterday, when I looked up the horse that I’m supposed to be riding in the Gold Cup, I found out that this (Sir London) is not the horse. This horse that I’m supposed to ride on the Gold Coast is just a horse. This horse is not acceptable to me.”
Diving Propos will instead be ridden by British champion jockey Oisin Murphy, who will be making his Gold Cup debut.
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