Butt takes on a new challenge in the racing game

After reaching the greatest heights in the harness code, Tim Butt is now aiming to earn the respect of his peers in another venture of racing.

The champion horseman from across the ditch has won almost all there is on offer with the pacers and trotters, including multiple Inter Dominions, a Miracle Mile and numerous big time Cup races from around Australasia.

Now residing at Toorbul in the Sunshine State, the 55-year-old Butt is starting out from scratch with the thoroughbreds.

He started his first galloper in late July of this year and has taken six more to the races since.

The fledgling Butt stable are yet to snare a winner with the thoroughbreds with their best result yet a fifth-placed finish for Reve Americain on the Gold Coast Polytrack in the middle of August.

The champion harness horseman turned gallops trainer is enjoying the experience.

“We needed a new challenge in life, we have been training pacers for about 30 years now,” Butt said.

“I am looking forward to a new challenge.

“It is good because I am started at the bottom rung again and I need to work my way up and earn respect from galloping trainers.

“It is something that I did through harness and big series’ I trained in.”

Butt has taken two gallopers to the races in recent months: Reve Americain and Mighty Ganges.

Mighty Ganges was recently retired.

As well as those two, he has two unraced youngsters – a filly and a colt – on his books.

The multiple Group 1-winner in harness racing has not started a pacer in a race since late October of this year and prepared his last winner in the month before that.

The majority of Tim’s harness horses have been transferred into the name of his son Riley.

The 21-year-old Riley had three face the starter on Friday of last week at Albion Park.

Riley has mostly driven in races in the early stages of his career before now turning his hand to training.

The Butt family relocated to Queensland in the early stages of 2022.

“Peoples attitude to life is terrific up here,” Tim said.

by Jordan Gerrans, for Racing Queensland