Woobine Stretch Drive - Jimmy Mac v Patrick Husbands

With only five racing days left in the Woodbine meet, the jockey's race is heating up for what should be a very tight finish. Jim McAleney was hoping to wire the field this season after a very successful campaign riding horses for Terry Jordan and Steve Asmussen. However, as the season wears on, a determined Patrick Husbands has started to pile on the wins to go with his many stakes victories this season. Tonight's competitive card finds the jocks notched in a dead heat of 157-157. Sadly, Emma-Jayne Wilson, in third place with an impressive 110 victories will not have enough mounts to have the season end in a Triple Dead Heat!

The current standings are as follows:

Name	Starts	1st	2nd	3rd	Earnings
Patrick Husbands	775	157	132	108	$9,054,324
James McAleney	807	157	110	115	$8,316,182
Emma-Jayne Wilson	855	110	109	131	$6,493,412
Emile Ramsammy	826	101	101	114	$5,119,553
Eurico Rosa Da Silva	707	100	93	83	$5,707,955

Let's take a closer look at tonight's action.

Race 1
Jimmy Mac is on board a live Reade Baker mount Morani and should cruise into the lead in the standings as Patrick Husbands watches from the jock's room.

Race 2
McAleney is aboard the morning line favourite, Elkhart, while Husbands first ride of the evening is on Seaside View at 4-1. I have a good feeling about a horse named Prada Girl in this fixture however and expect both jocks to have a rough time beating Gerry Olguin's horse.

Race 3
Patrick Husbands steers Audre Capucciti's American Signature, who will be in tough against Emma Jayne on Wookin To Run.

Race 4
McAleney is Thumbin A Ride on the ML favourite. All should go as expected here. That's two wins for Mac so far.

Race 5
McAleney has Affinity One, while Husbands looks good on the Mark Casse trained Unique Incident. This battle should go to Patrick as the jock/trainer combo has been a solid one all meet long.

Race 6
Patrick Husbands rides Full of Wisdom in this six and a half furlong event but Robert Landry should steal the treasure on Pirate's Legend.

Race 7
In the $125K Sir Barton Stakes, Patrick Husbands will look to win yet another stakes race on the excellent Dancers Bajan. This mile and a sixteenth test features Roger Attfield trained Sand Cove carrying 126lbs. That is a lot of weight to give Wilson on the 119lb Executive Choice. Still, Dancers Bajan has had an excellent season and I expect Husbands to get the job done.

Race 8
Going into the late double, I expect the standings to be tied at 159 apiece. Husbands is on the Tiller trained Vegas Venture and Jimmy has only Gotaghostofachance with this Scott Fairlie gelding. Look for Husbands to edge ahead in the standings at an even 160.

Race 9
The final race of the evening saw Charley Tango scratched to end Husbands night. However, trainer Norm McKnight has not yet named a jockey on Strathclyde. It may not matter though, for a 15-1 shot from the 14 post isn't likely to win...but stranger things have happened and I'm sure both jocks would like a chance at another win.

Good luck to both jocks as they make the last few days of our Woodbine meet an exciting one to watch.