W.R. (WES) BUTT

Wesley Richard Edward Butt (WR) was one of those to whom the compulsory requirement to retire from race driving at age 65 impacted in the latter part of the twentieth century. From an era where he drove against Jimmy Bryce and Freeman Holmes, he counted Maurice Holmes, Doody Townley, Derek Jones, Cecil Devine, Bob Young and Doug Watts among his esteemed counterparts.

Born during the first World War (27 December 1915) in Blenheim, a year that saw the Gallipoli landing and evacuation, sinking of Lusitania and Battle of Suvla (Chunuk Bair), Wes Butt sat at the head of a revered NZ harness racing family. Sons Robin (eldest), father of David and grandfather of Bob and Murray whose sons are Anthony (children Christopher and Kimberley), Tim and Roddy while one daughter Chrissy is married to well-known trainer Cran Dalgety (son Carter seems likely to follow in the footsteps of other family members) and another daughter Margaret has been a winning owner.

In a career spanning sixty years, Wes Butt topped the trainers premierships on seven occasions, 1945/6 (36 winners), 1952/3** (28), 1954/5 (33), 1955/6** (46, best season), 1957/8 (30), 1958/9 (23), 1961/2 (33). Leading reinsmen in two of those same seasons, equal with Allan Holmes and Fred Smith 1945/6 (28); 1952/3 (29). Retiring from race driving at the end of the 1980/1 season, his final drive on Brow Raiser (New Brighton TC, Addington 20 July 1981) was a winning one for trainer Derek Jones, and Wes trained his last horse during the 1990/1 season when Meadow Grove placed third on two occasions from four starts. Overall he drove 762 horses to victory and trained 721 winners with 192 career wins at Addington. His race day colours were a cardinal red jacket, gold sash and grey cap.

** leading trainer of trotters – 1952/3 – nine (equal with Colin Berkett); 1955/6 – nine

Butt was raised in Blenheim on his father’s farm before the family sold up and moved to Hororata around 1928 where his father was employed as an engineer and county clerk. Around the time Butt left school after finishing standard six, the family moved to Templeton (close to where Wes Butt eventually established his own property). Working on a farm and as a carpenter’s boy, he obtained his first harness racing job with Templeton trainer Dick Humphreys. This entailed riding his bike to the stables every day with just Saturday afternoons off. There was no pay for the first six months until one day Wes said to him, “’do you think I’m worth anything to you Mr Humphreys?’ ‘Yes,’ was the reply, ‘ten shillings a week.’ which wasn’t too bad at that time.”

Butt worked for Humphreys for more than three years and never got a drive in that period, a time where only the older, experienced drivers got all the drives. Owners utilised the experienced men while punters would never back horses driven by the younger drivers. In the nineteen thirties you needed your own horses to get drives. This was long before probationary driver’s races and now junior drivers races came to the fore to allow the younger horseperson the opportunity to obtain the necessary race day driving experience. Many now leave the junior ranks as very accomplished drivers, with owners granting them numerous drives, the opposite to Butts earlier days. In later years it did lead to him and many of his “senior” counterparts often being left watching from the stand rather than driving on the track.

Butt worked hard and learned all he could working for Humphreys and was offered an extra five shillings a week (fifteen shillings in total) to remain when he sought to leave. He didn’t stay but helped out Humphreys from time to time.

The Humphreys property of twenty two acre had been owned by well-known trainer Albert Hendriksen for whom Humphreys worked before taking it over. Hendriksen drove Albert H (named after him) to victory in the 1912 NZ Cup together with Country Belle (1915 NZ Cup), Cardinal Logan, winner of many races and second to Kohara in the Cup, Prince Akwood/Peter Mac (NZ Derby), Erin’s King (National Cup), Sungod (Timaru Cup), Hal Junior (Canterbury Handicap), President Wilson/Nantwich (Great Northern Derby), and Hustler (Gore Cup). Hendriksen was studmaster at Santa Rosa Stud, Halswell, when Truman Direct and Real Guy were there.

Dick Humphreys was well known as trainer/driver of the great Harold Logan, when he won the NZ Cup in 1931. Among other winners Humphreys trained Walter Moore (Futurity/All Aged Stakes), Supertax, Blair Athol, Huon Voyage (Dominion Hcp), Donald Dhu, Acuity, Special Edition and Tam o’ Shanter (Timaru Nursery). Butt had his first fast drive on Huon Voyage on the Humphreys property which Jim Dalgety owned at one time. Horsemen such as Snow Upton, Derek Jones, Doug Watts and Jack Pringle were associated with the stable.

After leaving Humphreys stable, Butt worked at the local pipe works, mainly in the pumice factory carting concrete piping which left him time to work his horses. In 1936, forty five years before his final driving success, Butt had his first drive and then first success with Walter Wrack at Greymouth (26 October 1936). Starting twice on the first day and finishing third on both occasions, Walter Wrack and Butt saluted the judge for the first time on the second day defeating Violet Wrack (dr Dick Humphreys). Violet Wrack won several races for Bill Doyle and founded a very good trotting family for him from her daughter Passive (When, Now, Call Me Now, Look, About Now, Shine, Game Bid, Asia Minor, Above The Stars, Bordeaux just some of her descendants). Walter Wrack won again at Greymouth later in the season. Butt trained Walter Wrack for nothing although his owner did bring over all the feed and pay him when he won.

In those early days when there were no floats, horses travelled by train or on foot. A trip of seventeen miles from Templeton to New Brighton trots required horses to jog in, race a couple of times and jog home. Timaru and Ashburton were completed by train with Templeton a major staging point. This entailed leaving at four or five in the morning picking up horses on the way and arriving just prior to the passenger race train. The reverse journey meant following the passenger train and arriving back around midnight before jogging horses home in the dark.

West Coast meetings especially Westport meant leaving Christchurch early in the evening by train arriving at Inangahua at eleven the following morning after a refreshment stop at Reefton, a free feed catered for by the Reefton TC. After unloading at Inangahua, the horses were jogged through the Buller Gorge to Westport arriving around 5/6pm. The Westport TC arranged trucks to convey the horses feed and gear for the visiting horsemen.

The West Coast circuit lasted a few weeks and tended to consist of two days at Westport, return through the Buller Gorge for a Reefton meeting, followed by two days at Greymouth with four races at Omoto (galloping track/meetings), two days at Hokitika, one at Kumara and a two day galloping meeting at Reefton to finish.

Wes Butt was a strong supporter of West Coast harness racing particularly in the 1950’s and 1960’s campaigning with big teams and enjoying a high level of success. On many occasions he had several horses in the same race, in those days stable mates were bracketed. He leased horses especially those good enough to finish fourth or fifth in Canterbury, preparing them for West Coast where they were normally good enough to win. In December 1938, he won with trotter Native Ruler** at Reefton while at Hokitika, Wee Pal won twice on the first day (first win was a dead heat) and finished second on day two (earnings of £174 10s). Butt purchased a brand new Bryant sulky (£32 10s) with the Coast winnings.

** only win for Butt, several placings during season for earnings in excess of £200; six starts later transferred into ownership of EA Collett and trainer George Cameron for whom he won at December 1940 Westport meeting.

Wes Butt signed off his driving career on the West Coast in March 1981 at Greymouth’s Victoria Park with victories on both days with son Robin’s stable runner “Thanks”. On the second night victory appropriately came in the last race, his final drive on the Coast, having earlier placed third with his own runner The Loner.

One very important West Coast identity, Greymouth soft drink manufacturer Andy Grogan, played a major part in Butt’s successful career. Butt’s Mankind Lodge was named after the first of two Mankind’s that he trained. Mankind (then five year old gelding) won his first couple of races for near neighbour EJ Smith before Grogan acquired Mankind on Butt’s advice for £250. Mankind proved a very good winner for Grogan and Butt earning more than £4,000 in stakes between 1940 and 1944. He graduated to the highest classes winning 1941 August FFA defeating Gold Bar; second to Gold Bar when Allan Holmes drove him to a world record mile in 2:03.6 from a stand, the same day that Gold Bar established a further world record over 13 furlongs of 3:27.0, both at Addington.

Mankind won a Hannon Memorial at Oamaru, Mason Hcp at Addington and was also a dab hand at saddle trots where Jack Carmichael often rode him. In September 1941, Butt won with two horses at the New Brighton meeting, Brigadier and Mankind. Mankind started in a mile saddle trot ridden by Doug Watts winning easily over 24 yards in 2:10.0. Lining up again in the last race Mankind defeated Huguenot and Gold Bar over a mile and half with Wes Butt driving. Ignored by the betting public even after his earlier easy victory, he was sent out eleventh favourite due to few being prepared to back a young inexperienced driver, accordingly they paid £36 to win.

Jack Carmichael began working for Wes Butt after travelling down from Wanganui for a holiday but he never returned to the North Island. He was a cousin of Butt’s future wife Beryl Bennett on whose father’s track Butt trained in his initial years. Wes and Beryl were married in July 1942, leading to trainer/driver sons in Robin and Murray and winning owners in Christine (Chrissy Dalgety) and Margaret. Jack Carmichael worked for the Butts for around thirteen years before commencing training in his own right. Apart from riding/driving for Butt he looked after the small war year’s team when Butt was stationed at Burnham Army Camp. Often able to get home on Sundays and occasionally on other days, Butt won a race with Mankind at Addington on the Saturday before being posted to Fiji for Pacific service on the Sunday.

Thanks to Andy Grogan, Butt was able to purchase his Mankind Lodge property of twenty five acres, later increased to forty acres, a covered barn and yards, five furlong training track and house. Once Butt came out of the Army, Grogan purchased the property for him which was paid off by Butt training for Grogan until the debt was cleared.

Among those who worked for Wes Butt were Jack Carmichael, Jim and Bill Smith, Snow Wright, ‘Button’ White (about 20 years), Ralph Bonnington and Barry Hamilton. His small team built up to thirty or so horses particularly in the early nineteen fifties to mid-sixties period. It was during this time six of his seven trainers premierships were captured (first post war 1945/6) and the second of two driver’s premierships.

Butt was unable to win New Zealand’s premier event the NZ Cup despite fourteen attempts, with Wee Wins (tr Max Thompson) third and fourth from four attempts between 1977 and 1980 being his best results together with Mayneen’s fifth. There were few other major races he didn’t achieve success in, among his major driving wins were:

• Dominion Hcp/CPTC and Banks Peninsula Trotting Cups – Johnny Gee
• NZ Trotting Stakes/now NZ Trotters Derby – Signal Light, Johnny Gee, Black Miller, Even Speed
• Inter-Dominion heats – Wee Win [three, Addington; second in heat at Moonee Valley], Van Rebeck (Forbury Park), Johnny Gee (Alexandra Park)

• Ashburton/Dunedin Festival Cups – Van Rebeck
• Easter Cup/Ashburton Flying Stakes/Alan Matson FFA – Wee Win
• CPTC New Year FFA – Golden Oriole, Wee Win
• National Handicap – Wee Win, Te Koi
• Great Northern Derby/Champion Stakes/Louisson Hcp – Golden Oriole
• Sapling Stakes – Golden Oriole, Wildwood Chief, Spry Guy
• Timaru Cup – Berkleigh, Spry Guy
• NZ Oaks – For Certain
• Rowe Cups – Battle Cry (for Papatoetoe trainer Peter Stewart), Even Speed

• Rosso Antico Stakes/now GN Trotters Derby – Even Speed
• Wellington Cup – Anarca Direct, Mayneen (Festival of Wellington Cup Hcp)
• New Brighton Cup – Bright Highland
• Hannon Memorial – Mankind, White Angel
• Methven Cup – Lucky Loyal, Gamble King
• CPTC 4yo Stakes – Speedy Guest
• Timaru Nursery Stakes – Seafield Lad, Lady Diane

He drove Speedy Guest into third place in Young Quinn’s 1975 ID Pacers Grand Final win at Alexandra Park for Jack Smolenski who also had Vanadium in the field (fifth); Wee Win fourth in Rondel’s 1979 Christchurch final and Van Rebeck fifth in Jay Ar/Robin Dundee’s dead heat at Forbury Park in 1965. His three Trotters Grand Final drives, Johnny Gee (2) and Even Speed (1) were unsuccessful.

Wes Butt drove winners on most South Island tracks and many North Island ones. In later years he was associated with three top line trotters as trainer and/or driver : Johnny Gee, Tony Bear and Even Speed. He drove tough open class staying pacer Wee Win (nineteen wins; driving him to win seventeen of these, sixteen at Addington) for Max Thompson throughout most of his career. Earlier in the fifties he trained/drove White Angel to success on three days at the 1951 NZ Cup carnival (day 2 two mile Cashmere Hcp 24yds, day 3 Express Hcp 1¼m 12yds, day 4 Harold Logan Hcp 2m 12yds)  and later won the Hannon Memorial with her. She was the second leg of an £8,504/14s double at Ashburton when eighth favourite (£17/1/6) off 12 yards with Piccolo, the rank outsider (19/19) winning the first leg paying £92/11/6.

Another long shot occurred when he drove Mrs MB Butt’s Stormy Lad to victory at Ashburton two races after Golden Oriole (classy juvenile) had won the 1964 Sapling Stakes. He paid £101/-/6 to win and more than £22 for the place (21/21 in twenty three horse field). In May 1965 at Hutt Park as trainer/driver of 8yo gelding Super Glow, they paid more than £73 to win and £18 for a place.

At the Nelson Trotting Club’s April 1947 meeting he won both races for trotters each day with Tu Rangi and Statesman. At Canterbury Park’s 1955/6 New Year meetings, he won half the programme (four of eight races) on the first day – Margaret Scott in the first and three in succession later in the day with Merry Gold, Surfman and Lady Baffelan. On the second day, he won the final two races with Surfman and Stadium Chief (produced quinella with Kingsdown Direct) as well as two seconds making it six winners from the sixteen races run over the two days.

During his last season of driving (1980/81), he competed in the Wes Butt Trotting Stakes at Addington (6 June 1981) against son Robin and grandson David who was having his first race day drive on Smith and Jones. Wes finished second on Strydom (trained by son Murray) and Robin third on Jamie Higgins to winner Tuatahi Girl. In addition, Murray’s father in law Derek Jones and Wes Butt’s wife’s cousin Jack Carmichael drove in the race.

Among the best of his over seven hundred training winners were :

• Johnny Gee, twenty seven wins (driven in all victories by Wes Butt), $63,990, T2:01.2; NZ Trotting Stakes (now NZ Trotters Derby), Dominion Hcp (1970 trained quinella as Tony Bear finished second), Canterbury Park/Banks Peninsula Trotting Cups, four Stewards Miles (CPTC),

ID Trotters heat, Waimate Cup against pacers (Tony Bear second),

Bridgens Memorial, Worthy Queen Hcp, dozen Trotters FFA’s; NZ Records : 1¼mM T2:36.8, Manawatu Raceway; 1 mileM T2:01.2, Addington. Johnny Gee and Tony Bear made a formidable bracket in top trotting races sometimes strengthened further by another stablemate in Briganelli. Johnny Gee won all four races from his only starts at Manawatu. Beginning his career training as a pacer with Jim Dalgety before Wes Butt leased him (no right of purchase) from owner Mr Parsons. As a sire stood at Don Nyhan’s Globe Derby Lodge, leaving forty six winners in NZ (15 pacers, 31 trotters), one AUS including McShane CPTC Trotting Cup, ID Trotters heat and Dainty Judy, third ID Pacers Grand Final; dam sire of fifty two in NZ (13 pacers, 39 trotters), five AUS including Eastburn Grant/Gee du Jour Rowe Cup, Jennys Rocket NZ Trotting Stakes – 3, Lanson ID Trotters heat/consolation

• Tony Bear, Australian bred;

  

  ine NZ wins (driven by son Robin to seven victories; Wes Butt two wins), $38,025, T2:07.2; Greyhound/Christchurch Hcps, Ordeal/Canterbury Park Trotting Cups, NZ Trotting FFA; eight times second to Johnny Gee; extensive Australian winner; sire including Hilton Bear, ID Trot heat. Note – together with stable mate Johnny Gee, they collectively won thirty six races for Wes Butt

• Even Speed, twenty two wins (trained by Wes Butt for four of these including Rowe Cup; driven in thirteen of wins from twenty starts). Overall record of T2:03.1, $79,985 in NZ; Rosso Antico/NZ Trotting Stakes (now GN/NZ Trotters Derbies), Rhodes Mile, Worthy Queen Hcp, DB Trotting FFA; seconds in Dominion Hcp, ID heat; three and four year old NZ Trotter of Year; T2:00.1US, won five of first six starts in USA, total earnings $236,938

• Mankind, first six wins were for EJ Smith; then owned/trained and driven by Wes Butt, a further five wins (one saddle trot) followed. All told, eleven wins, $6,881, 2:05.0
• Stadium Chief (1948), nine wins (three for Butt), 2:06½, $12,321
• Golden Oriole, impressive mare owned by son Murray and trained/driven by Wes Butt to ten wins in NZ, $12,580, 2:02.2; 2:01.3US, founded good winning family in USA

• Partisan (1965), eight wins from seventeen starts, speedy but unsound, 2:04.1, $9,915
• Te Koi, trained by Hugh Purdon, driven by Roy Purdon to first three victories, Thames Pacing Cup; trained/driven by Roy Purdon to one success; trained/driven by Wes Butt to seven victories including National/August Hcps at Addington. Eleven wins in total, $15,285, 2:05.4
• Liberty Bond (1939), six wins (three for Butt), 2:10.0, $6,573, Dunedin Hcp, Armstrong Memorial
• Axis (1957), eight wins, 2:07.0, $6,970, CS Thomas Hcp
• Margaret Hall (1940), six wins (five for Butt), 2:10.4, $8,730, Westport/Reefton Cups; dam of seven winners from eight foals including Orbiter
• Trade Fair (1950), nine wins, 2:05.2, $12,340, Roi L’or/Raceway Challenge Stakes; sire
• Van Rebeck (1956), good older horse, thirteen NZ wins (twelve for Butt), 2:04.8 (10 furlongs), Ashburton Cup, Cup Day Canterbury Hcp, New Year Hcp, ID Pacers heat; 2:01.2US, $143,665
• Benghazi (1937), six wins (four for Butt) wins, T2:16.6, $4,660
• Jimmy Scott (1938), seven wins (four for Butt), T2:11.3, $12,012, NZMTC Stewards/Avon Hcps, CPTC Stewards Hcp
• Moss Hall (1949), eleven wins (five for Butt), 2:04.4 (10 furlongs), $15,230, Smithson Hcp
• Courageous (1944), seven wins (five for Butt), 2:29½, $5,870, Labour Day Hcp
• White Angel (1946), eleven wins, 2:05.6, $14,533, Hannon Memorial

Trained and drove dual Interdominion champion Captain Sandy whose career was nearly at an end in three unplaced starts during the 1955 Auckland ID’s.

Other notable horses Wes Butt was associated with not already mentioned included Loyal King (one win for Butt), Rowan Star (eight wins, Westland Cup/Adams Memorial; dam of Garry Rowan), Stimulant (three wins for Butt, Forbury Park Presidents Hcp), Waitaki Child (seven wins, Wildwood Hcp), Admit (seven wins for Butt New Brighton Presidents Hcp, NZMTC Canterbury Hcp), John Regal (eight wins, CPTC Presidents Hcp) …… .

Wes Butt was a more than a half decent tennis player for which he had the trophies to prove it. The asphalt tennis court alongside the Butt home used to be mare White Angel’s yard.

Continuing to officially train horses for a further ten years after he was compulsorily retired from driving, Butt could look back and reflect on a job well done over an extensive period of time and the legacy of the Butt harness racing family that he founded.

Wes Butt died in September 1999, aged 83.

Peter Craig

18 September 2019

Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com

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