By Brigette Solomon
A training double and a driving treble made for a very successful night for Bob Butt at Alexandra Park on Friday.
The Woodend trainer-driver’s trek north saw him win with two of his own horses, Princess Meritaten and Gold Bullion, with Princess Meritaten being a standout winner for the night with her success in the Group 3 Caduceus Club Northern Breeders Stakes.
From barrier nine, Butt settled Princess Meritaten back in the field one off the fence and four back, while race favourite Lady Of The Light led up in a soft tempo. There were no mid race moves, and Butt was in no rush, awaiting the home bend before making his run wide on the track where Princess Meritaten let down to display blistering speed to clinch the win by a length over the second placed Dance Til Dawn, with Lady Of The Light third.
“I was rapt with the way she let down tonight, from where I was I would have been happy to run into the placings but she just had too much speed for them,” said Butt, “she’s got a heap of gate speed and can race handy too so we’ll just be hoping for a good draw for the Queen Of Hearts next week now.”
Racing in the famous Brian O’Meara colours, it was also somewhat fitting the Princess Meritaten should win on the same night as O’Meara’s great horse Christian Cullen led out the field at Addington for the race named after him – the Group 1 $200,000 The Christian Cullen for 4YO pacers, won by Rakero Rocket.
O’Meara co-bred and co-races Princess Meritaten who has now won seven from 13.
She is now a $1.90 favourite in the fixed odds markets ahead of the Group 1 Queen Of Hearts on Friday.
Immediately following his first win, Butt was back in the winner’s circle with Gold Bullion in the Thames Members Handicap Trot.
In his first start at Alexandra Park and off a 20 metre handicap, Gold Bullion stepped away smoothly to settle second last in running where he remained until the final lap. From the 600 metre mark Gold Bullion shifted out to sit three back in the three wide line which was led by Pantani. With his horse full of running, Butt took the gelding to the extreme outside on the final bend and once balanced up he sprinted home strongly to hit the line and win by a nose over Halberg who was bold in defeat.
“He was good tonight and finished the race off nicely,” said Butt, “I’m pretty happy with both of them heading into next week’s races.”
The four-year-old gelding by Father Patrick is raced, and was also bred, by Butt’s grandparents Robin and Jackie Butt, and has now recorded six wins and just over $96,000 in stakes. His next assignment is the Listed Dunstan Icandoosit Handicap Trot at Alexandra Park on Friday.
The wins from the pair of Butt trained horses were impressive, and the success continued for Butt when he drove a third consecutive winner for the night with the Arna Donnelly trained Little Spike who took out the Noel Fox Memorial Pace.
