Anthony Butt delays departure this week

Press, 21 April 1986, Page 30

Anthony Butt delays departure this week

By

JEFF SCOTT

The leading South Island reinsman, Anthony Butt, took his season’s tally to 47 with wins behind Amoeba and Hindyn at the Methven Trotting Club’s meeting on Saturday and will attempt to increase his record further at Addington Raceway on Friday before departing to compete in the Inter-Dominion Junior Drivers Championship in Perth next Sunday. Butt, currently third on the national drivers premiership behind Maurice McKendry (74) and Tony Herlihy (70), has a lead of three over the closest South Island driver, Mike de Filippi, and the next best junior reinsman, David Butcher, who both have 44 wins. A close-up sixth and the third-placed South Islander is Colin de Filippi, who will resume driving this week, with wins.

Butcher and Mark Purdon, who along with Butt make up the New Zealand team in the InterDominion junior series, will leave for Perth on Thursday. However, Butt will now join his teammates three days later. The series will open at Gloucester Park next Monday. “The only big race I’ll miss is the D.B. Export Fillies Final on May 3,” said Butt, who will be

back in time for the New Zealand Oaks night at Addington six days later.

Amoeba’s win in the Lyttles Transport Handicap on Saturday was Butt’s first for three weeks. However, he had reined the longshot, Imperial Time, to a gutsy third in the $150,000 Lion Northern Derby, won by a stablemate, Laser Lad, on Friday evening.

The beaten favourite at ’Cheviot a week earlier, Amoeba was given every chance handy on the outer and dashed past the leaders easily in a sprint home, winning impressively by two and threequarter lengths. “She’s got a pretty good sprint when you can keep her covered up for the last run,” said Butt of the Waratah five-year-old, which was recording her fourth win from 21 starts.

Dunlord, three back on the inside early, worked off the fence at the right time and had his chance but found Amoeba’s finishing burst too good on the day. Free’s Best, handy in the open throughout, stuck on gamely for third, half a head back, with Golden Don, which tracked the winner to the 300 m, an improver’s fourth. The favourite, Rolls Hanover, was slow to begin, before being checked out of the race by fallen

runners and was pulled UP- ■ f-.c

• In spite of some lacklustre showings in recent weeks, Ruthless turned in an outstanding performance to win the Lion Brown Handicap, pacing the 3200 m ih a dashing track record of 4:14.4. This was after the Scottish Hanover entire had moved up wide from the 2700 m to be handy on the outer at the • 1800 m, was shuffled back again over the last round to be one of the rear runners turning for home, and then stormed home in typical "Ruthless” style to win by half a neck. ' “The owners are ail over at i the InterDominion and told me they had lost all their money, so I had to win or else ...,” : joked Bob Nyhan, the Rangiora trainer-driver of Ruthless at the presentation. Ruthless was recording his ninth win from 63 starts for 'earnings of $37,400 and, despite his grand recorid on grass, was the thirteenth favour? ite at odds 'of 34-to-one. Ruthless was last successful in the Methven Cup on the course ip September, beating Enterprise, while he also set a track record over 2000 m; of 2:37.6 at Methven last season. El Victory, after leading early, then trailing from the 2400 m, appeared to have his rivals

for much of the run home, before being caught in the last few strides by the winner, with the favourite, World of Fame, a solid third after being handy on the outside most of the way. Travel Warrant, five back on the inside over the last 1600 m, ran on strongly for fourth, ahead of Flying Count and Andronicus.

• The Prebbleton junior reinsman, Andrew Tilson, aged 23, gained his first driving success behind a stable runner, Tri Star, in the First Highbank Pace.

Tilson, in his third season of race driving, was having his twentyeighth drive on Saturday and his eighteenth for the term. He got the best out of Tri Star late in the piece to get up in the last stride wide out to score by a nose from Aces Wild, with a nose back to the favourite, Skipper Logan, in a hectic finish. Tri Star, a three-year-old colt by Main Star from Mae West, is trained by Jack Grant, for whom Tilson has worked for eight years.