Butcher the one to follow tonight

Punters are used to superstar driver Zachary Butcher being the man to follow in the sulky at Cambridge but that extend to the training ranks tonight.

Butcher has his usual handy book of drives but one of the members of his small stable in Sharkies Girl (R4, No.1) also looks hard to beat.

She has won on the Waikato track before and has had no luck lately for a variety of reasons, a bad barrier last start, copping early pressure in a hard-run 2200m the start before.

Tonight she gets barrier 1 and Butcher says she is ready to show her best.

“She has to be hard to beat and I think she can hold the lead and that gives Nath (Delany, driver) options,” says Butcher.

“She is well and while there are a couple of nice horses in there she is up to them.”

Butcher drives one of the hotter favourites of the night in Whispering Artist (R7, No.7) and says the big mare is his best of the night.

“She stays in the same grade she won in last start and is a very nice horse at this level and she has shown she is good enough to work in her races and still win.”

Butcher rates Take The Monarch (R6, No.10) his best each hope as he has been racing in stronger fields and has the manners to overcome his 10m handicap over the 2200m.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Michael Guerin, for Harness Racing New Zealand