One down – and now for the big one “Bro”

Kyabram-based horsewoman Kristy Butler is chasing back-to-back features in Tasmania – and this time, the stakes are even higher.

Fresh from a memorable victory in the $60,000 Tasfreight Raider Stakes, Butler has set her sights on an even bigger scalp in tomorrow night’s (Aug 2) $80,000 The Beautide at Hobart.

Butler has drawn barrier six with her in-form pacer Cuzzy Bro (Ultimate Machete), although two emergencies drawn inside mean he could move in at the start.

“It’s going to be a hard task to beat the favorite Fighter Command from the Jess Tubbs stable, but you’ve got to be in it to win it,” Butler said.

“They won it last year and his recent form has been excellent. We’ve had our boy at Rohan Hillier’s place near the beach and he’s happy and bright.”

The Beautide, a key feature for three and four-year-old pacers that are Tasbred or 100 percent Tasmanian-owned, carries an added incentive this year – the winner earns Tasracing’s slot in the $2.1M TAB Eureka at Menangle on September 6.

Butler said Cuzzy Bro, who has seven wins and seven placings from 28 starts for more than $90,000 in earnings, would need things to go his way.

“The Beautide is run over a shorter trip than the Raider Stakes, but Cuzzy Bro has won over all distances. I think to have any realistic chance, we’ll need to get out quick and land somewhere near the top,” she said.

“It will be so exciting for the four owners – Jason Morgan, Yvette Morgan, Duane Morgan and Helen McKenzie – who are all from Tasmania. He’s a mighty little horse and it has been a pleasure to have him as part of our family.”

The Raider Stakes victory was a deeply personal milestone for Butler, who dedicated the win to her late grandmother.

“We had an angel watching down giving us a hand in the Raider Stakes. My Nanna Maggie Eaves passed away a few years ago but I told her I’d win the race one day. I would have given anything for her to be here because she was a big part of horses in our family,” she said.

“My pop Richard (Eaves) is retired now, but his help and knowledge throughout my life has been huge. He had so many fantastic horses and it means so much to be somewhat following in his footsteps.”

Butler and her husband Marc moved from Tasmania to Kyabram in September last year and are steadily building their Victorian stable, which currently includes a team of seven and two horses undergoing rehabilitation.

Alongside the race team, Butler is also growing her business Kristy Butler Equine Sport Therapy as well as offering pre-training services.

“Marc and our five-year-old son Ollie spent four weeks in Tassie with the horse to ensure everything was spot on, and I’m so proud of their work because the ‘Raider’ was the biggest race I’ve won,” Butler said.

Leading Victorian reinsman James Herbertson has been booked to drive The Beautide race favourite Fighter Command.

Stable representative Marc Butler with pacer Cuzzy Bro (Victory Images photograph)

Cuzzy Bro was an impressive winner of the Raider Stakes last month, driven by Rohan Hillier (Victory Images photograph)