09 January 2019 | Alan Parker
The first Fremantle Cup was run in the city of Fremantle on 29th September 1928 and Friday night’s race will be the 90th running of the race. Only a BOTRA strike in 1945 has prevented the race being run every season since its inception.
Tim Butt’s Fremantle Cup record
When Tim Butt started Flashing Red in the 2007 Fremantle Cup and Raglan in the 2012 Fremantle Cup he was based in New Zealand.
Now based in New South Wales Butt will gear up his third starter in the race when My Field Marshal starts favourite on Friday night.
Flashing Red finished 9th behind Shardons AFlyin, Kotare Flame and Precious Dylan in 2007 while Raglan finished second to Im Themightyquinn in a memorable 2012 Fremantle Cup.
Tim Butt’s brother Roddy trained the 1994 Fremantle Cup runner-up Justaboyden which was driven by Fred Kersley when second to Smooth Business.
Like his previous two starters in the race My Field Marshal will be driven by another of Tim Butt’s brothers in Anthony Butt.
Anthony Butt, who first competed in Perth as the New Zealand South Island representative in the 1986 Inter Dominion Young Drivers Championship, has driven 10 winners in WA including three heats of the 2012 Inter Dominion with the Mark Purdon trained Auckland Reactor.
Anthony also drove Raglan to win an Inter Dominion heat in 2012 and won a heat of the 2004 Perth Inter Dominion with Mister D G. Both Raglan and Mister D G were trained by Tim Butt.
The 1986 Inter Dominion Young Drivers Championship was certainly a portent of things to come as the trio of young drivers from New Zealand that year have all gone on to drive an Inter Dominion winner.
Anthony Butt (NZ South Island representative) won with Mr Feelgood in 2009.
David Butcher (NZ North Island representative) won with Elsu in 2005.
Mark Purdon (New Zealand representative) won with Mark Hanover in 1991, Smolda in 2016 and Lazarus in 2017.
Team Bond out to equal Gary Hall Fremantle Cup trifecta
With a record number of seven starters lining up on Friday night the stable of Greg and Skye Bond will be out to equal the record of Gary Hall Snr who landed a trifecta in the 2009 Fremantle Cup courtesy of Im Themightyquinn, Alzona and Dartmoor.
Hall had five runners that year with his record number of starters being six in 2016 when his stable runners Beaudiene Boaz and My Hard Copy finished first and second. Since his first runner, Zakara which finished 3rd behind Imprimartar and Time Symbol in 1991, Hall has had 51 starters in a Fremantle Cup.
Maczaffair has odds stacked against her
Champion mare Maczaffair has the record book stacked against her as in the 89 previous runnings of the race only 16 mares have been successful with Whitbys Miss Penny the last mare to win in December 1992.
Remarkably five of the first seven winners of the Fremantle Cup were mares.
In fact only two mares have won a Fremantle Cup when the race has been held at Gloucester Park.
Silver Emblem won the March 1944 edition when the track at Fremantle was closed due the Second World War and trotting in the metropolitan area was restricted to fortnightly and to Gloucester Park.
In looking at the mares to have won the Fremantle Cup a couple of names stand out as they also won a WA Pacing Cup.
Black Bertha won the Fremantle Cup in January 1942 and twelve months later won the WA Pacing Cup.
Hall of Fame inductee Daintys Daughter set a World Record over two miles when she won the WA Pacing Cup in January 1970 and she won the 1971 Fremantle Cup. A month prior to her Fremantle Cup win she had finished second to Radiant Oro as that stallion won his second WA Pacing Cup.
Of the 1075 starters (800 individual horses) in a Fremantle Cup since 1928 only 171 (145 individuals) have been mares.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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