Page 31 - December 2005 The Game

Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper The Game, December 2005 31
For the love of the game
still giving it my best shot and I will every year, until I get to where I'd like to be. I believe there is a spot out there for me."
His accomplishments in 2005 would certainly suggest so.
In spite of a relatively modest number of wins to date, Simon made headlines when he partnered John LeBlanc Jr. trainee Sophia's Prince to set the track record (1:14.56) for 6 1/2 furlongs in the Shepperton Stakes on August 7.
The duo then paired to contest the Atto Mile, marking Simon's second appearance in the Grade 1 classic. They also finished second, a neck back, to Steel Light in the $500,000 Nearctic Stakes on October 23.
"I think Simon is very underrated and consider him a strong part of my team," said LeBlanc. "I can ask him to give a horse an easy work or a strong work and that's what I get. The feedback he gives me is invaluable.
"I not only consider Simon a jockey, but a horseman with the heart of a lion. He can sit on a 1,200 pound unruly beast entering the starting gate like it was a night at the opera, calm and at ease, waiting for the curtain to open and the performance to begin, with grace, unity and timing."
While he admits the thought of taking part in the so-called "big" races is thrilling, Husbands sees any race, claiming, allowance or stake, as an opportunity.
"Even if I have just one horse, I usually come in early in case something comes up. But I know I'll probably just have that one chance to win.
"In this sport, it's all about chance," continued Simon, with a big smile. "You just never know."
By Chris Lomon
Though he constantly sports a grin wherever he may find himself, there's one place in particular that brings the biggest smile to the jockey's face.
"I feel as though it is my duty to ride horses," said Simon Husbands, as he looks you straight in the eye. "I consider myself a happy person, but the one place where I am the most happiest is when I'm out on a horse.
"That's all I feel comfortable doing," he continued. "Even if I have one ride and if I have to come in for that, it's fine with me. It's my duty to be here (at the racetrack). If I'm not here, I'm not comfortable. I worry when I'm not here."
In a sport where you lose far more than you win, Husbands, born on July 16, 1969, never seems to wear the look of someone defeated.
While he hasn't achieved the notoriety and fame of some of his contemporaries, Husbands, who has been a regular member of the Woodbine riding colony since 2000, isn't exactly an unknown in racing circles.
Prior to his arrival in North America, Simon, whose younger brother Patrick is a four-time Sovereign Award-winning jockey, found success riding in his native Barbados and in Jamaica.
But in the quest to heighten his profile and explore tougher competition, Simon decided to test the Canadian racing ranks, arriving in 1988.
"I wanted to see what it was like," recalled Husbands, of what was to be the first of several attempts to make it in
Canada. "As a young rider, you always wanted to perform against the best. I always wanted to go forward. I rode in Barbados, but then I moved on to Jamaica because they had more races. I liked Jamaica because it's North American-type riding. In Barbados, it's European-style riding."
While things didn't pan out the way he had hoped at Woodbine, Husbands turned his attention to Fort Erie Racetrack, hopeful of finding the winning formula at the 'Border Oval.'
Once again, the results weren't what Husbands had hoped for.
"Things were pretty slow at Fort Erie, so I went out west to ride at Marquis Downs in Saskatoon," remembered Husbands. "But I thought that it wasn't a step forward, so I came back and started galloping horses at Woodbine and Fort Erie."
Finding himself on the sidelines rather than in the saddle, Husbands felt he had no choice but to give up riding altogether.
"I went back home, but in 1993, I got the urge to ride again and came back to Canada. I went to Fort Erie and won about 20 races. I won a race at Greenwood and then it closed down. I decided to head back to Jamaica because the racing was getting better and the purses were higher. I thought I was done with Canada."
It turns out, he wasn't.
Husbands once again found himself back in Ontario, the result of a persistent sibling and a desire to make it in one of North America's most competitive riding
Simon Husbands aboard Sophia’s Prince
colonies.
"Patrick called me almost every day in
1999 and tried to convince me to come back. I didn't want to ride just one horse and I was riding good horses and doing well in Jamaica. But on a big racing day in Jamaica, some guys who were riding in Canada were there and told me how good the horses were and that the purses were great."
One year later, Husbands was back in the Woodbine jockeys’ room, the same workplace he has been in ever since.
In his first full year at 'Canada's Showplace of Racing,' Simon won nine races, including his first local added-money score with Swamp Line in the 2000 Frost King Stakes.
"I gave up a lot to come here, but I'm glad I did. I was going forward, not back- wards," said Husbands, who won 20, 31, 35 and 31 races from 2001 to 2004. "I'm
At this time of Year it is a joy to look
back on another successful
season.
We would like to wish all of our friends in the horseracing industry a Merry Christmas and a
Happy & Healthy New Year!
- Robert & Gail Tiller
He’s Back!
FORT CHAFFEE
1990 Chestnut Horse
by Mr. Prospector - Till Eternity, by Nijinsky II
Sire of: Graded Stakes Winner, WAFARE WARRIOR, $214,302; Chaffee’s Prospect $220,795;
His 2005 winners include: SP winner Revolver Six ($99,815); Turf winner Fuse Quick ($154,722); For a Fee ($111,315); Brown Rouge ($100,651); Guayabo Dulce ($95,740);
Bye Bye Beylen ($94,666); Bud Chaffee ($87,681)
Progeny Earnings of $4,150,000 • $34,860 Average Earnings per Starter
2006 Fee: $1,500 l.f.
Inquiries to Lori Neilson
LORSHAN FARMS 905-729-2244