Butcher back in the winning circle

By Duane Ranger

David Butcher’s remarkable fitness and ability to bounce back from two serious abdominal injuries within the space of the last 20 months has been phenomenal.

You only had to be at Cambridge Raceway on Friday to witness proof of that.

Butcher’s most recent injury came in July. Fast forward four months and now the durable Waikato reinsman has booked a drive in the prestigious NRM Sires Stakes Final at Addington Raceway on November 10.

He completed his remarkable comeback at Cambridge when the Steven Reid and Simon McMullan trained Art Form stuck on tenaciously to win the second NRM Sires Stakes heat.

Runner-up Kimani (Barry Purdon) also booked his ticket south for the $170,000 feature for our best 3-year-old pacers on New Zealand Cup day.

Butcher has no right to be driving so soon let alone lining up in Group One events. As he puts it – it was his fitness and ability to heal quickly that has seen him get back in the bike way ahead of schedule.

In July Butcher suffered multiple internal injuries after being kicked in the chest by a horse at his Cambridge stable.

He was admitted to the high dependency unit at Waikato Hospital with a lacerated spleen, perforated bowel and at broken ribs.

He had been trying to catch a horse in his yard, where he trains with his father John, when it kicked him and sent him flying.

The biggest racehorse on the property caught him squarely in mid-chest.

That serious injury occurred just 18 months after Butcher tore his pectoral muscle when he was leading a young horse. It pulled back suddenly and stopped, whipped his arm back and the muscle was torn off.

But it takes more than serious injuries to keep Butcher down.

The 50-year-old recorded his first two winners of the season when Art Form and the unbeaten and impressive Lincoln’s Keepsake won the third and fifth races respectively at Cambridge Raceway.

“I’ve been lucky alright. My bowel had a tube placed in it. They couldn’t stitch the bowel but when they took the tube out it healed quicker than we thought it would.

“The only real issue was the scar but it didn’t slow me down as much as what I thought it would. It’s just great to be back,” Butcher said.

He paid a tribute to Reid and McMullan who had the horse spot on for Friday’s heat.

“He dug in when he had to and has really made the step up this year. I know it’s a going to be a big step up in class down south but the way Art Form is progressing I can see no reason why he can’t be competitive in Christchurch,” Butcher said.

Reid was delighted with the run.

“I was rapt. That was his best career run tonight. He’s definitely getting stronger all the time. He’s definitely on the right track. He will probably have one more race and then follow a similar path to what Gold Ace did when he won his Sires Stake Final (2010),” Reid said.

Because Art Form has won his races to date from in front, Reid said he would now like to race him back in the field when he next lines up.

“Now the rules have changed we might now start him in another Sires Stakes heat towards the end of next month.

“It will be preferential draw so he won’t get a good one which means we might be able to educate him quietly back in the running.

“Then we might line him up at the Cup Day trials before the Sires Stakes Final. That’s what we did with Gold Ace and that seemed to work,” Reid said.

Art Form and Butcher led from gate two in Friday’s 1609m mile. They dictated all the pace and just held on to beat Kimani who got within half a neck of the Art Major colt. There was a neck back to Zach Maguire and Philip Butcher in third.

The winner stopped the clock in 1:53 even with final 800m and 400m sprints of 55.7 and 28.3. He was the $2.60 favourite and it was his third win in in six starts.

“I know the task that lies ahead and I know what it takes to win that Group One race but I( believe I’ve got the horse to give the good South Island ones a fright.

“Come November 10 I should have him spot on,” Reid said.

“I’d rate Friday’s performance a nine out of 10,” he added.

Art Form is owned by R. M. and Mrs D. E. Reid. He was bred by C. H. and Mrs T. J. Barlow.

Meanwhile the Andrew and Lyn Neal trained Risk skipped early but was still good enough to win Friday’s other feature event – the $13,000 Hamilton Vet Services Te Awamutu Cup for the C3 and faster pacers.

The 4-year-old entire and driver Todd Mitchell recovered quickly and then displayed a lot of tenacity to get up and beat Downunder Stride and Tony Herlihy (MNZM) by half a length. He was the $2.30 favourite.

Andrew Neal said he would see how Risk came through Friday’s race, but could ‘Throw him in the deep end” and line him up in Thursday’s Spring Cup at Alexandra Park.

“We will just see how he recovers. The 4-year-old race at Kaikoura is his main goal at this stage. Delight Brigade (who finished sixth behind his stablemate) will more than likely line up in next week’s Spring Cup,” said Neal.

Risk paced Friday’s 2700m stand off the front in 2:23.5 (mile rate 2:01.2) with final 800m and 400m sprints of 56.4 and 28.2.

It was the son of Changeover’s his seventh win in 16 starts for owners – G. S. and C. M. Eynon. He was bred by both Kahukuri and Studholme Bloodstock.