By Michael Guerin
Benjamin Butcher isn’t sure his return to race driving will bring him a win at Alexandra Park on Friday night but it will sure feel like one.
The popular Waikato horsemen hasn’t been seen in a race since a smash at Alexandra Park in August that left him with a shoulder injury and concussion.
It was the latter that has caused Butcher the most grief, with anybody who has had concussion knowing the “foggy head feeling” that Butcher had to go through.
“It was pretty bad there for a while but a lot better now,” says Butcher.
Butcher will have two drives tonight.
“I was in no real hurry or had a set date to get back out there but this race came up with two in it I train so it seemed the right opportunity.”
He will partner Hearts N Aces in Race 4, the Gallagher Insurance Mobile Pace for mainly three-year-old maidens while father David will drive I Can Too.
“They are both nice horses but they have also only had one trial each this time.
“The maidens weren’t going fast last week so I decided to race them this week but I think the one Dad is driving is actually a better chance.”
“But I think they are both better than maidens eventually.”
Ironically the horse Butcher was driving when he had his race accident in August, Iron Heart, is in the same race and listed as a debutante because after the fall that night the race was deemed a no-race.
Butcher’s first drive back will actually be the race before on Rise To The Occasion in Race 3, the Dunstan Speedfeed Summer Series – Handicap Trot.
The dependable trotter is looking at least a place chance in a race that should be dominated by the backmarkers.
The night has plenty of horses just tipping into odds-on including two from the Purdon barn in Without You (Race 1) and Demon Blue (Race 6) while the biggest certainty of the night is Ray Green and Nathan Delany will train the winner of the two-year-old race as they have all five starters.
One of the other features will be Kyvalley Hotspur dropping back from taking on Muscle Mountain and Oscar Bonavena lately when starting off a 45m handicap in the $20,000 main trot, the Lone Star Alexandra Park Handicap Trot.
