Patrick Husbands Aims for 5th Gold Cup With Smokin T

The 43rd Sandy Lane Barbados Gold Cup has a field of eight set to contest 1 1/8 miles on turf at the Garrison Savannah racecourse in Bridgetown on Saturday, March 1. The $214,000 (Bar) event is the most popular race in the Caribbean and once again, Florida shippers will rule as favourites.

The 2024 winner, PORTFOLIO COMPANY, owned by Gay Smith and trained by Chad Brown, is back to defend his title. The six-year-old gelding by Kitten’s Joy won last year’s race by half a length with Antonio Bishop riding and it was the fifth Gold Cup victory for Smith. Portfolio Company has raced just once since last year’s Gold Cup win when he was seventh in a handicap on the Tapeta surface at Gulfstream behind a victorious SMOKIN’ T.

Smokin’ T, purchased by Smith for $160,000 from the Keeneland November Breeding Stock sale last year, is a six-year-old horse by War Front and a graded stakes winner in the U.S. Also trained by Brown, Smokin’ T has won seven of 25 career races and over $890,000.

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Woodbine’s multiple champion jockey PATRICK HUSBANDS is expected to ride Smokin’ T, who posted a 97 Beyer Speed Figure when he won that handicap at Gulfstream on Jan. 25.

Husbands has won four Gold Cups and his last victory was in 2014 on Major Marvel.

And Gay Smith has a third starter in JERRY THE NIPPER, who was fourth in the Gold Cup in 2024 and has been racing steadily since then. The Todd Pletcher-trained son of Liam’s Map was a winner on the Tapeta on Dec. 28 and then second to Smokin’ T in his most recent start.

Gulfstream’s leading trainer SAFFIE JOSEPH JR. has two horses entered in the Gold Cup. HARROW, owned by Averill Racing LLC, has won three of his last five races and was recently fifth in the W.L. McKnight Handicap (G3) at Gulfstream Park. The seven-year-old is by Lea.

And PUBLIC SECTOR, by Kingman (GB), owned by Melrose Racing and trained by Joseph, has won six of 30 races and won an optional claiming race at Woodbine last summer over Stone Age.

Trinidadian THE GODDESS NIKE, by Accelerate, won a maiden race at Santa Rosa last August and won a maiden race at Tampa Bay Downs in January 2024 for $16,000 claiming.

Locals Show the Money and the mare Vividly complete the field.

RACE 8 – POST TIME 4:40 p.m. eastern

Post Horse Age/Sex Weight Trainer

1. JERRY THE NIPPER (USA) 8/G 129 – T Pletcher
2. SHOW THE MONEY (GB) 10/G 129 – R Lovell
3. THE GODDESS NIKE (USA) 4/F 120 – J O’Brien
4. PORTFOLIO COMPANY (USA) 6/G 129 – C Brown
5. VIVIDLY (GB) 8/M 124 – C Williams
6. HARROW (USA) 7/G 129 – S Joseph Jnr.
7. PUBLIC SECTOR (GB) 7/H 129 – S Joseph Jnr.
8. SMOKIN’ T (USA) 6/H 129 – C Brown

Program HERE.

Livestream HERE.

Video of Smokin’ T and Patrick Husbands HERE.