No-one knows what it is like to train a champion trotter as well as Tim Butt does.
But Daryl Boko, the West Melton trainer’s runner in today’s $260,000 Dominion Trot at Addington, will be chasing a horse well on the way to champion status.Butt dominated Australian trotting in the early 2000s with Lyell Creek and Take A Moment and is seeing plenty of top-drawer qualities in Monbet, the Greg and Nina Hope-trained trotter.
"He’s just developing into a champion," Butt said.
"Sometimes they have the potential to be one, but he’s developing and only doing what he had to and pulling out the stops when he needs to. I thought he won a bit easier than it looked on Tuesday.
"There’s still a lot ahead of him to prove it, but at the moment, he’s the yardstick."
Butt was pleased with Daryl Boko’s fourth to Bordeaux at Kaikoura after a fortnight’s break, so he employed the same tactics leading up to today’s 3200m test.
"We thought we’d stick to the stands and keep him fresh for the Dominion," Butt said.
"He went good at Kaikoura with a two-week break so that was the plan. I’m really pleased with how he’s going but it’s just the level of horses he’s racing against . . .
"Monbet’s got champion qualities. That run on Tuesday was terrific and he’s going to be awfully hard to beat. But we’re a good place chance."
Butt has called on driver Blair Orange for all five of Daryl Boko’s starts this season, and the reinsman has done exactly what Butt wanted in his runs.
"He’s been looked after and driven perfect for this sort of race in mind.‘‘In saying that, the class of the good ones is pretty good and he needs everything to go his way."
Field Marshal may be able to make a little more of his own luck in the group 1 pacing free-for-all after drawing barrier 3 in the 1950m sprint.
Butt is keen for Orange to find the lead shortly after the start and suggested the lead might not be there for Lazarus if the New Zealand Cup champion comes around for a look.
"It’s a nice draw — we can use his gate speed. We’ll probably be much better over the shorter distance and use that gate speed and we might hold up, with a bit of luck."
Field Marshal fought on up the passing lane for third behind Dream About Me and Locharburn in the junior free-for-all on Tuesday, although Butt felt there was improvement left in the Syd and Shona Brown-owned pacer.
"I didn’t go to the cup trials on purpose because I wanted to have him right for Friday and that told on Tuesday but I’m sure that will top him up for Friday," he said.
"It was a pretty good run — you probably would have liked him to come through and beat those ones. But you don’t know until you race them and they’re a pretty good yardstick. Mark has a big opinion of Dream About Me and [Field Marshal] wasn’t far away."
