By Adam Hamilton
That was Anthony Butt at his brilliant best.
Butt’s superb and daring front-running drive on Boots Electric in the $60,000 Group 2 SA Pacing Cup was all designed to beat his main danger, which just happened to be stablemate Perfect Stride.
They ran the quinella, but it was Boots Electric who “really just jogged it in,” according to Butt.
“He felt fantastic tonight. He’s a lovely horse. When he got the front I wanted to run them along and make them chase,” Butt said.
“I know Perfect Stride came quickly at him on the final bend, but I was still cruising and Perfect Stride had chased from so far out he came to the peak his run. They both went really well.”
Boots Electric, already a Group 1 winner of the 4YO Bonanza earlier this year, won by 7.8m in a slick 1min57.2sec mile rate for the long 2645m trip. It was just 0.4sec outside the great Smolda’s race and track record.
“To come here and quinella the big one is a real thrill,” Butt said. “We’ve got a really nice team of horses and this continues the great run we’ve been having.”
Boots Electric, a Kiwi-bred by Somebeachsomewhere raced by Emilio and Mary Rosati, has raced just 20 times for 10 wins, four placings and banked $161,672.
X X X
Former All Stars gelding Aladdin has quickly made a splash in Victoria.
Two starts in a week have netted the Mildura Guineas and Group 3 SA Pacing Derby.
And both have been in very easy fashion.
Driver Kerryn Manning took Aladdin straight to the front from gate two in last SA Derby and kept s steady tempo with a 59.9sec middle half as main danger Bondi Lockdown sat outside him.
When Bondi Lockdown wobbled on the final bend, Aladdin opened up and big league and coasted to a 6.1m win in a 1min57.5sec mile rate for 2230m.
It was special win with the now Victorian-based Norman being from SA and Aladdin’s new owners Adam, Ben and Terry Cormack all being South Australians.