What a week it’s been for Kimberly Butt.
Just days after a winning double at Motukarara she reined home a $100 outsider at Addington last night.
“It’s been a good few days,” says Butt, “I was pleasantly surprised by Shades of Robyn that’s for sure.”
Last night in the Captain Crunch At Alabar Mobile Pace Butt secured the one-one with the Trevor Cross-trained Shades Of Robyn before overhauling second favourite Tuppence late in the piece to win by a head.
The five-year-old gelding was having his sixth start after five previous unplaced runs.
“Trevor trains just around the road from us,” says the Leeston-based Butt, “and he does a bit of fast work at our place so I know a bit about the horse and he has shown glimpses in the past but I was still wasn’t expecting him to win.”
“It was a nice bonus.”
And the win certainly caught punters unawares.
On the tote Shades of Robyn paid $86 and was even longer on the fixed odds market at $100. He’s the second horse Cross has won with as a trainer, following on from The Wrath Of Robyn, who won eight between 2013 and 2015.
For Butt the win capped off a very successful few days.
On Sunday she reined home another two horses at nice odds – To Ri Ruby paying $34 and Kiss The Girls in the day’s feature the Akaroa Cup at $17.
Just recently Butt added working at Harness Racing New Zealand’s marketing team to her already busy life as a trainer, driver and mum (to four-year-old Kenzie).
“It’s a part time gig and it’s been a nice change – hopefully I’m doing an ok job.”
Her success last night takes her to 26 for the year. That’s one better than 2024 and one shy of her personal best season’s tally of 27 she achieved as a junior driver in 2019.
“I am always pretty mindful of how many wins I’ve had and I do keep an eye on the stats,” says Butt, “but I’ve been around long enough that when your luck’s in you have to enjoy it.”
And Butt’s successful week will have a degree of poignancy tomorrow at Addington when she drives Master Class, who she also trains, in a race named after her late grandfather, the Remembering Murray Butt Mobile Trot (7.06pm).
And the family connection doesn’t end there. Race rival Nazareth is trained by Murray’s son Roddy (Kimberly’s uncle) and will be driven by Carter Dalgety, Murray’s grandson.
