FORT ERIE, Canada, CMC – Barbadian jockey Chris Husbands logged a double on Tuesday’s eight-race card at Fort Erie to stretch his lead at the southern Ontario racetrack.
The 32-year-old scored in race five with a 6-1 bet Road Map and in race six with a 3-1 choice A I Initiative to move his tally for the three-month-old season to 28 wins from 111 rides.
Jamaican Kirk Johnson is his nearest challenger on 16 while Pierre Mailhot lies third on 15 wins.
The defending Fort Erie champion, Husbands, opened his account over six furlongs when he steered the five-year-old bay mare Road Map to a narrow victory over the three-year-old and upward fillies and mares.
One Last Fling and Twosweetforme pulled the field through the early fractions before Husbands brought Road Map with a flying late run to edge fast-finishing favorite Honey Girl by a neck.
Husbands wasted little time in his second start of the day, combining with the eight-year bay gelding A I Initiative to crush the three-year-olds upward by 6-¼ lengths.
He raced the gelding off the pace set by Pugin before bidding at the top of the stretch and reeling in the leaders.
Johnson also found himself in winners’ row, piloting 18-1 choice Ms. P’s Bella to victory over the three-year-old and upward fillies and mares, winning the five-furlong sprint by a neck.
Barbadian Jason Hoyte also tasted success in the day’s finale, settling a 4-1 bet Shebatown off the pace before bringing the four-year-old filly with a strong stretch run to beat the three-year-old and upward fillies and mares by 2-¾ lengths.
The Fort Erie season wraps up on October 17.
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