Rockhampton-based jockey Ashley Butler agreed to make the long trip to Darwin to help out two close friends.
Leading Top End jockey Sonja Wiseman can’t ride at Friday’s meeting at Fannie Bay following minor surgery on her wrist on Monday, so in turn she can’t ride for trainer and partner Tom Logan.
Logan contacted Butler, who was only too happy to accept the invitation to ride at the famed Northern Territory track for the first time where he has picked up four rides for the Logan stable.
Catching a flight from Rockhampton to Brisbane on Thursday morning, Butler then boarded another flight to the tropical north.
Butler is the third Queensland jockey to ride at Fannie Bay in recent times with Brisbane-based Cecily Eaton featuring on October 1 and Toowoomba-based Tessa Townsend on deck last Saturday.
He has never met any of the Darwin jockeys, but Butler will see a familiar face in Townsend on Friday as she has five rides for trainer Tayarn Halter.
“I know Tessa, but not that well – I’ve rode with her before a couple of times and I’ve seen her around,” Butler said.
“I don’t know any of the jockeys in Darwin, none of them, that will be different.
“Not sure if they know me, but I don’t know them.
“I’m sure the locals will probably give it to me a fair bit being an outsider coming to Darwin, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
There is no crisis in the NT when it comes jockey numbers, but with Wiseman, Paul Shiers (injured), Lorelle Crow (injured) and Vanessa Arnott (suspended) sidelined – and Adam Nicholls recently departing for Victoria – Logan needed someone to partner Freddy The Eagle, Malibu Edition, Virtuous Miss and Euphegenia.
On their travels, Logan and Wiseman spent time in Rockhampton where they struck up a friendship with Butler and wife Heidi.
“Tommy and Sonja were formerly in Rocky, and I rode with Sonja for about 10 years,” Butler said from Rockhampton airport on Thursday.
“When they moved to Rocky, Tommy was riding a bit of trackwork here in Rocky and I’ve been mates with them ever since.
“It was a couple of years ago now that Tommy and Sonja were here.
“I was good friends with Sonja when we were riding and we used to travel to the races together a fair bit.
“Sonja is also good friends with Heidi – they met through me to start off with.
“Sonja at the time was living in Cairns and she used to come to Rocky and ride and she used to stay at our place a fair bit – the rest is history.”
Butler’s trip to Darwin was perfect timing as there is no racing in the Rockhampton area this weekend.
“When Tommy rang me and offered me the guernsey to come over and have a ride there I jumped at the opportunity because I’ve always wanted to ride there,” he said.
“It’s a place that I’ve never been to, so it’s something different.
“There were no races around here this weekend anyway, so it worked out pretty good.
“I leave Darwin on Saturday, fly into Brisbane and then stay the night in Brisbane and fly home Sunday.”
Butler’s first appearance at Fannie Bay could bear fruit as Freddy The Eagle, Malibu Edition, Virtuous Miss are considered strong hopes, while Logan is expecting an improved effort from Euphegenia.
“I talked to Sonja last night and she gave me a rundown of all the horses,” Butler said.
“Of what she sort of gathered, she said that if I don’t ride three winners I’m a pretty bad jockey, so I’m going to take that as they’re all pretty good rides.
“But I think looking at the form Freddy The Eagle in race one is probably one of my better rides.
“I haven’t been able to watch many videos as yet, but I’ve got a couple of kilos to lose to ride 58kg as I’m a bit of a heavyweight, so I normally like to leave my form until the night before when I’m sitting in the bath having a sweat.
“I spend enough time in the bath to do a fair bit of form, so I’ll leave all that for tonight.”
Butler is currently riding in good form in regional Queensland and is full of expectancy when it comes to his Darwin visit.
“Very hot from what I’ve heard,” he said.
“They go the opposite way which us in Queensland don’t really get that much.
“There are only two tracks in Queensland that go the opposite way and they race once a year – Birdsville and Bedourie.
“Somewhere different, a new track, the opposite way, the heat – I’m not looking forward too much to the heat, but I’m looking forward to the rest of it.”
The 30-year-old, with 16 years of experience in the saddle, was asked if he still enjoyed life as a jockey considering his weight issues.
“I’d love to say yes, just being a heavyweight it’s very hard work trying to lose weight all the time,” he said.
“We get enough heat in Rocky as it is, so with the heat and trying to lose weight it’s pretty tiring at times, but the last 12 months I’ve had a really good run with winners and rides.
“In the last six months I feel like I’m riding probably the best I have for a very long time, so yeah, I’m enjoying it.”
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