Kiwis set to shine across the Tasman

Anthony Butt can’t wait to get a feel of Copy That.

Trainer Ray Green is thrilled with how the Kiwi stars has settled after 10 days in Queensland and things get a little more serious with an Albion Park trial on Friday.

Butt will travel up from Victoria to drive in the trial ahead of Copy That’s first Brisbane run in what promises to be a very strong Wondais Mate Pace at Albion Park on Saturday week. The race is also a target for King Of Swing, Spankem, Turn It Up and Colt Thirty One.

Butt’s trip will also extend to driving glamour Kiwi pair Krug and Amazing Dream at Redcliffe on Saturday night.

Cran Dalgety confirmed Butt would drive Krug this week, while the decision is in Blair Orange’s hands for major targets, The Rising Sun and Queensland Derby.

“Ants has put his hand up for this week, so that’s great,” Dalgety said.

Butt has experience around the unique Redcliffe “triangle” track.

“I’ve driven there a few times, going back to when I was a junior driver. I also drove Flashing Red in the Redcliffe Cup one year and won the (Redcliffe) Derby on Make Way a couple of years ago,” Butt said.

Krug will dominate betting in the Redcliffe Derby, while Amazing Dream will skip the Redcliffe Cup and run in an Open Pace over 1780m.

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Former Kiwi stars Our Princess Tiffany and Spellbound headline a small but fantastic Group 3 Ladyship Stakes (1609m) field at Menangle on Saturday night.

It’s clearly a launching pad towards the new $100,000 Group 1 The Golden Girl during next month;’s huge Queensland Constellations Carnival.

It’s preferential draw so the Dean Braun-trained Our Princess Tiffany, who returns from a spell, will start from the outside at the track when she won the NSW Oaks a couple of years back.

Amanda Turnbull has landed the drive.

Nathan Purdon’s Spellbound, who has raced four times in Aussie for three wins and a massive second at Melton, has been freshened and gets the advantage of barrier three with Stuey McDonald to drive.

In-form trainer Jason Grimson has the three glamour girls of his barn in the race – The Stunning Nun (gate two), Rocknroll Angel (five) and Rubies For Tash (six).

The Menangle cards starts with the free-for-all where Team McCarthy pair Cash N Flow (seven) and Star Galleria (eight) are the class runners, but huge improvers Bundoran (nine) and Loorim Lake (10) add huge interest.

Then there is Chariots Of Fire runner-up Zeuss Bromac (gate 11), who should be primed after two runs back from a break.

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One of Australia’s most exciting pacers Minstrel sparkled at his racetrack return on Monday.

The Golden Nugget winner returned for his first start since a forgettable Chariots Of Fire raid in late February when nothing went right in the run and he was somewhat overawed by the occasion.

But there’s no doubting Minstrel’s potential and he barely looked out of second gear winning in slick time (1min56.4sec for 2185m) after doing some early work and getting a lovely trail on a hot tempo.

Shockwave is WA’s top seed, but Minstrel and his Team Bond stablemates Mighty Conqueror and Patronus Star will be serious rivals in coming weeks and months.

Minstrel had 10 NZ runs for David and Catherine Butt for four wins and five placings before being sold to Team Bond where he’s had eight starts for five wins, a second and just over $175,000 in stakemoney.

Greg Bond has openly declared him potentially as good as any horse he and wife, Skye, have trained.

by Adam Hamilton