By Michael Guerin
Transplanted Kiwi trainer Tim Butt is hoping for a near two-minute commercial for his new Sydney training base to be beamed Australasia-wide on Saturday night — called the Miracle Mile.
Butt stunned the local harness racing industry last year when he left his native Canterbury for the outskirts of Sydney, where he now have 12 horses in work including Miracle Mile blowout hope My Field Marshal.
He and wife Andrea have no regrets about the move as Menangle provides localized racing without great traveling, a chance to tap into Australian riches and hopes of building a new ownership base.
“And I’d always wanted to live in Australia, and I thought you only live once so why not,” says Butt.
While his team is ticking over nicely more horses, and more good horses, are always welcome and a Miracle Mile win would be an advert for the stable like no other.
“It would obviously be the dream result. We are going all right but you can’t buy that level of exposure.
“And I think we have a chance, the way the race is shaping up.” My Field Marshal has been set for the mile and ignored the sapping distance races like the Inter Dominion and Hunter Cup, with his history of two wind operations suggesting sprinting is more his go.
He won the Len Smith Mile, usually a mini Miracle Mile, at Menangle last year by sitting off a hot speed, something which looks likely again on Saturday night.
“I think they will go hard and we could be trailing, three deep or in the one-one behind a horse like Soho Tribeca,” says Butt.
“And that would give us a chance. He may not be as good as Lazarus but he may not have to be with him drawn eight.
“I also have Ants (brother Anthony) driving and that is always a plus in a group one race so we will get our chance.”
While many rival trainers are buoyed by Lazarus’s defeat last week and barrier on Saturday, Butt is not so confident the champ is ripe for the beating.
“I have had those top horses before with a bug and they get beat because they are a fraction off their peak form but them they can bounce back very quickly.
“Mark is a great trainer and if he gets him back to his best this week and they go really hard early then I still think he can win.
His last 100m last Saturday we very good, very brave.” My Field Marshal has been one of the few roughies heavily backed this week, being as long as $23 with some bookies after the draw but only $10 with the New Zealand TAB fixed odds now.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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