Legendary Barbadian jockey Patrick Husbands has withdrawn from this year’s Sandy Lane Barbados Gold Cup, citing dissatisfaction with Sir London, the horse he was scheduled to ride.
In an interview with The Nation yesterday, explaining his decision, Husbands said the issue began when he reviewed paperwork for a horse he believed he would be riding ahead of what was expected to be his farewell appearance on Barbadian soil.
“This is probably the best horse (Diving Propos) that has ever come to Barbados,” Husbands said. “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.”
According to Husbands, he was initially asked if he would ride that horse in the Gold Cup, only to later discover he had been booked for a different mount.
“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 Oisin Murphy, the British champion jockey, making his Gold Cup debut, from post three for St Thomas.
Husbands said the development left him unwilling to participate in the race.
“The bottom line is, I will skip the Gold Cup. I just want to let the public know that, and I will head back up to Toronto, and I’ll ride there. I want to offer my sincerest apologies to the people of Barbados that were coming to support me, but I was not coming on Saturday just to put on colours. I intended to win.”
The internationally acclaimed jockey, who has spent much of his career riding in Canada, added that the public would still have an opportunity to see him compete one final time in Barbados, although the exact timing has not yet been determined.
“Briefly, I spoke with Rosette Peirce (Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Turf Club) ahead of the decision, and we will decide what day in the summer this year will be the last time I race in Barbados.”
The 52-year-old’s decision to withdraw from the 43rd running of the Sandy Lane Barbados Gold Cup means that 2014 will remain the last time he captured the coveted trophy. On that occasion, he did so aboard Major Marvel, completing a treble that included victories in the 11th Sandy Lane Spa and the 12th Tanglewood Stakes. (JC)
