Duchess gives Butcher ‘a special feel’ in G1 Magness Benrow

The powerful Purdon/Phelan training partnership secured their fourth harness racing Group One at Alexandra Park this season with a quinella in the $128,000 Magness Benrow Sires Stakes 3YO Fillies Championship this evening.

Zachary Butcher and Duchess Megxit (Sweet Lou) were all the rage heading into tonight’s feature at the ‘ribbon of light’, starting at microscopic odds of $1.40 on close.

The progressive daughter of Sweet Lou was a Group One winning juvenile and has come back this campaign in terrific form as the winner of four of her seven starts including a G1 placing in the Northern Oaks earlier in the Autumn.

She was a winner of her last two starts by a combined six lengths, and having commandeered the lead early in the running of tonights 2200m mobile event, she had garnered a healthy amount of respect from her opposition who were content to sit back and let Zachary Butcher dictate terms aboard the odds on shot.

Butcher walked them in front and had barely moved a muscle as they balanced up for the run home, but soon had to get serious as the swoopers brushed up from the rear of the field. But no sooner had the chasing pack emerged before Duchess Megxit had put them away, cruising to the line for an easy one and a half length victory.

“All credit first and foremost to the team back at Barry’s and Scotty’s who do all the hard work. She is a pretty special filly, she gives you such a good feel,” said Butcher.

“If I could say anything I drove her a little bit pretty tonight and went a bit too slow. They came swishing at us late but by the line, I was just charging. So we will just put that in the notes for next time to keep them a little bit more honest.

“I’ll slap myself on the wrist for being cheeky and trying to get it too soft tonight but I wont make that mistake again. By the line she was running away, its an awesome feeling to be in the seat to drive fillies as good as this,” he said.

DUCHESS MEGXIT REPLAY

The winning time of 2:44.8 was the slowest since the 3YO Fillies feature had reverted to the 220m journey back in 2007 when won by Eyecatcher Courage. But as alluded too by Butcher, his filly was doing her best work at the finish and what he said next should put everyone else in the fillies division on notice as they prepare for the Spring.

“I am just thrilled to get it for everyone involved and obviously all the boys up ion the winners circle, there are a lot of them here and they came from Christchurch tonight to see that and it was great to get it for them.

“It’s always hard to compare them with different eras and the different horses that they race. The one thing I will say about her is she has got bottom to the point she can hold high cruising speed for such a long time.

“There have been very nice fillies I have driven that have had good point to point speed and could reel off a quick 200m but they needed the right sort of run. She feels like she is just getting stronger and you can do almost anything with her in the next six months. I could be wrong, but thats the feel she gives you and its a pretty special feel to have,” he said.

The stablemate, Ultimate Racey Girl (Ultimate Machete) continues to punch well outside her pay grade and do a sterling job of putting her young sire on the map. While she has picked up just the one win in her 15 start career, she has chased home a couple of smarties in her stablemate and Coastal Babe for two Group One placings and is worthy of a big one should the cards fall her way.

Tonight’s victory for Duchess Megxit took her career earnings slightly north of the $200,000 mark with five wins and five placings from her 10 career starts.

She the first foal out of Kensington Kate (Bettor’s Delight), a full sister to the five time group one winning mare, Piccadilly Princess.

For complete Alexandra Park results, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink