It is customary to Knight in the Barbados Honours List every year, and many distinguished statesmen and women, business people and sportspeople have been honoured. Many cricketers have been graced with the Award, and in recent times a Statue of Sir Wesley Hall has been added to Sir Garfield Sobers at the Kensington Oval. It highlights the importance of sport in Barbados, and in particular, the significance of cricket, which is legendary throughout the world. Thousands of cricketers visit our islands every year to either watch matches, or to tour, or both. We can never measure the boost to the economy, but it is huge, and everyone benefits from airlines, hotels, restaurants, retailers, tour operators, taxis et al.
We can add other sports, including motorsports, watersports, polo, golf, and horse racing. The horse racing takes place three times in seasons during the year, and in recent times they have added Night Racing.
Barbados sporting personalities are often household names throughout the globe, depending on your particular sport. Sir Garfeld Sobers, Sir Everton Weekes and Sir Wesley Hall come quickly from cricket, Brian ‘Irie Man’ Talma from watersports, or Sir Michael Stoute an Icon in horse racing. Everyone knows they come from Barbados, and although Barbados is small in number, the profile is huge worldwide.
The Barbados profile has been enhanced in the past three decades by the phenomenal performances of jockey Patrick Husbands in local racing, but mainly at Woodbine in Canada. His records are legendary, and he continues to increase his achievements. Now 47, and in the twilight of his career, he can look back at a plethora of successes. He has ridden close to 3,500 winners, and holds a staggering 8 Sovereign Awards and 7 times top jockey at Woodbine, 4 times in succession 1999-2002. He rode 4 Barbados Gold Cup winners, and was 1993 Champion jockey. He rode his first winner at 16.
He was inducted in the Barbados Turf Club Hall of Fame, and the Brampton Hall of Fame in Toronto. In 2003 the Barbados Government awarded him the Barbados Silver Star (BSS) in the Independence Day Honours List. He rode the Triple Crown success on the great Wando at Woodbine in 2003. In 2014 he was awarded the prestigious Alvelino Gomez Memorial Award for outstanding service to horse racing in Canada.
Despite his commitments over the years Patrick has been generous, and helped many others in the business. He also made many contributions to charity.
Above all, he’s a homeboy at heart, and deserves the highest accolade for his contribution to horse racing and charity.
He should be knighted!
