Despite spending a majority of the race well back from the lead, veteran jockey Chris Husbands
knew that Nikolaou had it in him to steal the finish and win the Puss N Boots Cup on Monday at
Fort Erie Race Track.
“I was just biding my time, sitting behind,” said Husbands after the race. “When I was coming on
the last turn, he picked up like, ‘come on let’s go,’ so I said alright let’s roll, then we came
around and he went right through to the finish.”
Trainer Kevin Buttigieg said that while Nikolaou is a bit of an odd bird, he had faith in the horse.
“He’s a horse with a lot of talent,” said Buttegieg. “A lot of quirks, a lot of kinks, but we try to
work them all out for the race.”
The $30,000 Puss N Boots Cup is run each year at the Fort Erie Race Track in honour of
another quirky horse.
In 1961, a horse named Puss N Boots was leading a race at the top of the stretch, when he
decided to veer inward and take a refreshing dip in the infield pond. In honour of his impromptu
swim, Fort Erie Race Track holds the Puss n Boots Cup every summer. In 1996, owner Robert
Elkins boasted that he’d jump into the infield lake if his horse Dancing for Beans won the race.
Rider Francine Villeneuve brought her horse from last to first, sending Elkins for a swim. Each
year since, the winning connections take the traditional jump into the infield pond.
This year, Kevin was still recovering from a leg injury, so his wife, Sarah, took the infield plunge
for him, alongside Husbands.