Stablemates go one-two in Derby

Group 1 wins are hard enough to come by, let alone a quinella in an elite level race.

But that was exactly what master harness racing trainer Brent Lilley was able to achieve on Sunday when he dominated the Classic Connection at Haras Des Trotteurs Victoria Trotters Derby Final.

All the honours were with Kyvalley Hotspur, who backed up his NSW Trotters Derby success from May with a powerful front-running display in the $75,000 feature out of Maryborough.

Master reinsman Anthony Butt sent the colt forward early in the race and was able to take the front off stablemate Aldebaran Zeus, who had been used off the mobile from barrier six. Butt ran the field along at a good tempo, but left enough in the locker to kick turning for home and never looked like being run down in the sprint to the line.

In the end, he had 4.5m to spare over Aldebaran Zeus, with Mufasa Metro (John Justice) third in a new 2690m track record mile rate of 1:59:3.

“I didn’t want to get going too soon around the bend because I knew Chris (Alford, driver of Aldebaran Zeus) would be on my back, so I wanted to really wait until we got to the passing lane to go. He was so strong up the lane and it was a great performance really,” Butt said.

“I was worried about (Aldebaran Zeus). He hit my cart a few times during the run so I knew he must have been travelling really good. He’s got high speed that horse and I knew he’d be hard to hold out up the lane, but my guy just felt fantastic. He ran those 30 quarters and was just jogging it.

“I never asked him to go down the back and he went 28-something down the back.”

The Derby Final was just Butt’s third drive of the horse, who before Sunday had held a record of six wins from 14 starts, as well as a second placing to Have No Fear in the Group 1 Need For Speed Prince Final back in February.

“I’ve started driving him just the last few weeks. I went to the trials a few times to drive him, and he’s just got better and better and better. Brent’s done a great job peaking him on the day, and today it would have taken a special horse to beat him,” Butt said.

Kyvalley Hotspur’s win was one of three for Lilley Racing Stables at Maryborough.

The team also saluted with Tripod in the Victorian Square Trotters Association John Ashby Memorial 2YO Trotters Handicap and Queen Elida, who stretched her picket fence to five in the Aldebaran Park Gold Bracelet.

Butt also claimed a double, winning the Thompson Timber, Grain and Saddlery Maffra 2YO Vicbred Maiden Trot with Dylan Stratford-trained Meadow Valley Star.

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By Tim O’Connor for HRV